Andre Yoskowitz
23 Jan 2011 1:39
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, during a panel discussion about intellectual property protection, has made sure to tell Chinese President Hu Jintao that around 90 percent of Chinese citizens are running pirated Microsoft software.
Microsoft's most popular software includes the Windows operating system and Office word processing suite.
President Obama even went as far as to discuss Ballmer's concerns (via NW):
We're making progress on making sure that the government procurement process in China is open and fair to American businesses. And we've made progress as a consequence of this state visit.
Some of it has to do with intellectual property protection. So we were just in a meeting with business leaders, and Steve Ballmer of Microsoft pointed out that their estimate is that only 1 customer in every 10 of their products is actually paying for it in China. And so can we get better enforcement, since that is an area where America excels -- intellectual property and high-value added products and services.