[Sussex] MS "alledged" threats to Denmark

[Karl E. Jorgensen]

On Thu, Feb 17, 2005 at 11:34:23AM +0000, John D. wrote:
> Geoffrey Teale wrote:
> >The point is , I imagine this whole things is actually rather more run
> >of the mill than the attitude of the average slashdot reader would
> >suggest.  
>
> Sorry, my dismay at some of the "alleged" comments, clouded my musing's. 
> What I suppose I really meant, is not so much that Gates might have said 
> such a thing, but said them in earshot of journo's - given the everso 
> slightly tarnished reputation of M$. I suspect that he's "probably" got 
> enough "smarts" to have a handle on such things, even things potentially 
> as low on his probable agenda as PR. Mis-quote or not, it still makes 
> him look just a little foolish.

Oddly enough, there were no journalists present as far as I've read.  It
was Microsofts chief attorney (actually "Chef Jurist" ~ top legal
person) who stated that in an interview with the newspaper "Borsen"
(Danish equivalent to The Financial Times): 
    http://borsen.dk/dn/70135

where the interesting paragraph is:

    "Hvis jeg skal beholde mit udviklingscenter i Danmark, kræver det,
    at der kommer en afklaring på rettighedsspørgsmålet. Ellers flytter
    jeg det til USA, hvor jeg kan beskytte mine rettigheder," sagde Bill
    Gates ifølge Microsofts chefjurist Marianne Wier, der også deltog på
    mødet med Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

which roughly translates to:

    "If I am to keep my development centre in Denmark, it requires a
    solution to the IP rights question. Otherwise I will move it to the
    US of A where I can protect my rights", said Bill Gates according to
    Microsoft's chief attorney Marianne Wier, who also took part in the
    meeting with Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

As your probably know by now, Anders F. Rasmussin the the Danish prime
minister... 

And if you think the phrases used in the translation sound a bit final
or demanding, fear not - the phrases are just as explicit in Danish...

So it wasn't a journalist hiding behind the chairs that picked it up.
It was Microsoft itself who let the cat out the bag (!)

-- 
Karl E. Jørgensen
karl at jorgensen.com   http://karl.jorgensen.com
==== Today's fortune:
A well-known friend is a treasure.
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