Microsoft steals linguistic Intellectual Property

Intellectual Property is all the fashion these days. Thoughts are used as weapons provided they end up in the wrong minds. Microsoft seems to use the Intellectual Property of others quite freely. This is not only true for the vast repertoire of Free Software that got incorporated into Microsoft products without consumers noticing. It is also true for the language of the Mapuche Indians in Chile who brought up an interesting issue in court.

"Mapuche Indians in Chile are trying to take Microsoft to court in a legal battle that raises the question of whether anyone can ever "own" the language they speak. The row was sparked by Microsoft's decision last month to launch its Windows software package in Mapuzugun, a Mapuche tongue spoken by around 400,000 indigenous Chileans, mostly in the south of the country. ... Mapuche tribal leaders have accused the U.S. company of violating their cultural and collective heritage by translating the software into Mapuzugun without their permission. ..."

Intellectual Piracy is rampant even in the best families, Microsoft being one of them. On the other this new kind of "piracy" may fall on the heads of its creator - the term Intellectual Property itself.

• Microsoft in legal battle with Chilean tribe
• Don't Let 'Intellectual Property' Twist Your Ethos