http://fuckedgoogle.com

QUOTE:
________________________________

When in Rome...
April 10, 2007

JaneWhile everyone knows that China isn't exactly famous for its enforcement of copyright law, it was a bit surprising to find out that Google's Asian software division has adopted that mantra as well.

After four days of denying it, Google finally admitted its engineers stole character recognition software from Soho -China's largest search engine- and started distributing it as their own.

The problem with the Chinese language is that there's literally no way to put 60,000 characters on a keyboard without it being 20 feet wide. So Chinese typists all use keyboards with English letters and "sound out" the Chinese words phonetically. Software then translates that input into standard Chinese characters. Weird? Yeah. Before the invention of the first affordable computer word processors during the 1980s, Japanese and Chinese newspapers were typeset by hand in an extremely labor intensive process.

So anyway, Google stole a private version of that translation method, and passed it off as their own. Google originally denied they had ripped Soho off, then Soho pointed out that Google's code contained the exact same errors that Soho's code had, plus it even contained the names of Soho's engineers who had signed their work. Doh!

Google, caught red handed, issued an apology. But that's all they did. They didn't remove the stolen code, and they're still using it. I guess that's like robbing a bank and telling the police you're sorry, but you're gonna keep the cash.

As of tonight Sohu has announced they are going to move forward with a lawsuit. As readers of this blog know, Google has never once in its entire history backed down from a legal battle until a court forces them to, no matter how obviously guilty they are. This time will be no different- Google's corporate policy is to do whatever the hell they want up until the nanosecond that a judge rules against them.

Sohu Threatens to Drag Google to Court

Google may soon find itself in a legal soup in China as top managers from Sohu.com yesterday said the US Internet giant's Chinese input method violated its patent rights, for which it can be sued.

"Google did not just steal the product dictionary, it violated the intellectual property rights of the revolutionary inventions used in our input method product," said Charles Zhang, CEO of Sohu.com, a NASDAQ-listed Chinese portal.

"It's a disgrace for a US company which takes pride in its respect for intellectual property rights. We will launch a lawsuit against them anytime," Zhang said.

On April 4, Google launched its own Chinese input method editor software called Guge Pinyin. It was found to be surprisingly similar to Sougou Pinyin released by Sohu.com in June 2006.

Similarities were found in the product dictionary that enables users to write in Chinese characters by typing in their pinyin equivalents.

Google admitted on Monday that "it did include some data source that don't belong to Google in the trial period of the product" and "felt sorry for its users and Sohu.com". But the company also said it had finished the latest upgrade of its product and the latest version of the dictionary was based on Google's own database.

Zhang said that although Google has made some changes in its dictionary, there are sill "70 percent similarities" between the two products.

"Google's problem is far more than a matter of dictionary similarity," he said. "They copied our idea and violated the rights of our technology inventions, which were first used in the input method editor software."

Sohu.com said it had started patent applications for the key technologies before it released its Sougou Pinyin last year. Four patent applications were already in the notice period by the end of last year and another dozen will enter the notice period this year, according to Wang Xiaochuan, Sohu.com's vice-president.

But Yu Guofu, chief lawyer of Sam Partners Law Firm, said Sohu.com is unlikely to file a lawsuit soon since the company has not yet been granted any patents.

"Sohu.com's technology will be protected by the law only after it is granted a patent," he said. "Its applications have come in the notice period, during which disagreements and criticisms are welcomed."

Yu said that during the six-month notice period, anyone can cast doubt on an application. This is followed by a lengthy legal process, which can last several years before a patent is granted.

(China Daily April 11, 2007)

I've been waiting for something like this. China is notorious for not enforcing copyright laws. Copies of the lates western movies can be had in China for a song. And CDs can be had for....um even less.

The Chinese government can hardly go through with this lawsuit and not expect the same in spades.

Of things that China Could become angered at i would rate this one pretty low. If the Chinese want to SLAP America about that Particular Intellectual property i think they will giver a good ol WHACK!. China has a free ride on copyrights DIRECTLY from USA have had since the day the common Chinese wound his ass in Americas Manufacturing sector jobs. So who is talking to who then Eh? I think the Chinese are just looking to use the big money guns on any thing American,British or israeli that happens to let too much ASS show below the lines they long since seen the whole lot of em ignore and ignore. Bird shot to ass is first. (the Sat. Shootdown thing). Now they are finished with the mamby pamby crapola. A eerie clack Clack Clack as China goes for a pipe full of SLUGS to play with. All clicking and rattling unnerving the masses like never before. As China mumbles "See if that will move ass better." Almost to her self.

China is driver more than most know.
Is China considering DRIVING YOU? I would Check that if i were you. (Just to be safe)

Hugo is Another sound America and her bitch israel just hate hearing.
First you take D.C. Then you take New York.