News
        
        Chinese Company Founder Buys Windows Licenses
        Founder extends goodwill gesture in hopes of promoting use of genuine versions of Windows software. 
        
        
        (Seattle) Chinese computer manufacturer Founder Technology Group 
        Corp. signed an agreement Wednesday with Microsoft Corp. as part of an 
        overall effort to crack down on widespread software piracy in China.
      
Founder Technology President Qi Dongfeng said the company would buy $250 
        million worth of licenses for a Chinese version of Windows over the next 
        three years, to be used on computers sold in China. The two companies 
        also agreed to work together to promote the use of genuine versions of 
        Windows.
      The agreement, which company officials signed at Microsoft's Redmond 
        headquarters, follows high-level talks Tuesday between U.S. and Chinese 
        officials in which China pledged to crack down on piracy and require computers 
        to use legal software. Piracy is thought to be extremely widespread in 
        China, hampering Microsoft's efforts to make money in the vast and growing 
        market.
      The signing ceremony also comes ahead of a visit next week by Chinese 
        President Hu Jintao, who will visit Microsoft headquarters and dine at 
        the home of Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates.
      Other computer manufactures also have already begun efforts to increase 
        the number of computers running legitimate Windows versions.
      Last week, Chinese PC manufacturer Tsinghua Tongfang Co. Ltd. signed 
        an agreement to purchase $120 million worth of Windows licenses over the 
        next three years for the Chinese market.
      And in November, computer maker Lenovo Group Ltd. pledged to start loading 
        most of the computers it manufactures for China with the Windows operating 
        system. Lenovo is based in Purchase, N.Y., but manufactures its computers 
        in China.