The Black Screen of Death

Just yesterday, Microsoft Malaysia posted a new advertisement in a Malaysian daily which gloated that it now had control of all the software pirates in Malaysia. This new "feature" targets pirates by making the background of the desktops black, making it easy for law enforcers to fine the law breakers.

I don't know about you, but this ad is just begging to be parodied. So the art team here at OpenMalaysiaBlog came up with THE advertising programme Microsoft should have run instead:

As with all proprietary software, please read the fine print by clicking on the images above.

yk.

Comments

[Wu MingShi]

Love the parody act.

Now someone in Microsoft must explain what happen if their piracy detection system mislabelled my friends' copy of windows as "illegal".

In any case, it should be easy for a black hat to distribute a patch to convert the black screen to your blue screen!

[Irwan]

I'm just speechless. The parody version of the advertisement is such a masterpiece.

[Gen Kanai]

Huh, is this program only for Malaysia? I have not seen this discussed elsewhere.

[Richard Chapman]

Microsoft is a tough act to parody. No matter how over the top you are there is still too much truth in it.

[Chris Ward]

In the USA, at least traditionally, 'possession and use of an unlicensed copy of Microsoft Windows (or IBM Lotus Smartsuite, for that matter)' was not of any interest to police. Nor was 'distribution'

I think the theory was that if you were put in jail, then the state would have to feed you, and you wouldn't be able to earn the money to pay Microsoft or IBM for the loss you had caused them.

Of course, it might be different in Malaysia.

[anon]

I think I would start a company policy of forcing black backgrounds for all computers just to mess with them.

[Rob Weir]

I thought Windows XP was end-of-life and no longer being sold. Is Vista doing so poorly in the market that Microsoft's main concern is piracy of a product they no longer sell?

And what would happen if a large group of legitimate Windows users intentionally installed a background desktop picture or screensaver that was identical that looked like the "black screen"? What if this became a fashionable statement?

[orlando_ombzzz]

what is windows? it is like DOS?

[Wintificator]

Yes, more or less. Windows is like DOS with lipstick.

[Steven]

Hmm. I actually have black backgrounds on all my computers because thats the way I like it. Damn, I must be a pirate!

[Wayne]

Why not just encourage everybody in the country to set their screen background to black? After all, there's no law against it, and you can't find a black cat in a coal cellar!

Or of course they could switch to Linux (and then set the background to black).

[LinuxMalaysia]

Do Microsoft Malaysia know that, the talk among younger generation of OSS community in Malaysia, is to be the community the will start the fall of Microsoft empire. :)

[M.A.A]

hey, I've been using black background screen since google (http://www.blackle.com/) says it helps save world energy usage.

so that's make looks like a pirate, no?

oh, wait!!! I'm using linux...phew!!!

[poolsurf06]

can anyone clarify, is it only black background screen or there will be restriction on the program function.

There are 6 pc and laptops at my home, invested in 4 genuine xp pro and 1 genuine vista ultimate. Lost 2 of the xp account due to virus and I reinstalled fake one. Now, if it's really bad, just gonna change it to linux and likely Goodbye microsoft, you won't come with my next notebook.

[Jeong Chun phuoc]

"The Black Screen software : An Anti-competitive Practice by Microsoft"

(17.7.2009)

Singapore must take the view that the global 'black screen' measure compulsorily imposed by Microsoft constitutes an act that falls within the domain of anti-competitive practice as envisaged by the Competition Act 2004. The question is whether a rightful owner be allowed by law to obtain unfair competitive edge via contractual advantage to the detriment of an innocent buyer/individual/users ? Although the Copyright Act 2005 and the Computer Misuse Act 1990 guarantee certain legal rights to the owner, they do not allow the rightful owner carte-blanche freedom to embark on anti-competitive measures with a view to protect his rights to the prejudice-and/or at the expense of consumer rights. No doubt section 7(1) of CMA's "without authority or lawful excuse" is a stark reminder to all, but it is by no means an insurmountable wall of defence for Microsoft. If it can be shown that Microsoft themselves had in fact implemented the black screen 'without proper authority and without lawful excuse', the imposition of the black screen would be declared as unconstitutional and illegal not only under the Computer Misuse Act but also under section 47(2)(a) and(b) of the Competition Act 2004 pertaining to abuse of dominant position : 47(1) Subject to section 48, any conduct on the part of one or more undertakings which amounts to the abuse of a dominant position in any market in Singapore is prohibited. (2) For the purposes of subsection (1), conduct may, in particular, constitute such an abuse if it consists in  (a) predatory behaviour towards competitors; (b) limiting production, markets or technical development to the prejudice of consumers; (c) applying dissimilar conditions to equivalent transactions with other trading parties, thereby placing them at a competitive disadvantage; or In any event, the last remedy against the black screen can be found in the law of restitution. The legitimacy of the black screen (and the Windows Genuine Advantage tool) may be tested in Court-if not in Singapore- it may be initiated in the EU or Australia. The black screen is not the only example of an unfair measure enforced by Microsoft in its global anti-competitive blocking strategy.

................
Jeong Chun phuoc.
Lecturer-in-Law.
Jeongphu@yahoo.com

[used computers]

Oops! i have had the blue screen last night while i was working on very important project and still my project is pending i called customer support tech but they couldn't figure out the issue.