If the code base for Microsoft’s China-based microblogging site Microsoft MClub looks surprisingly familiar, that’s because it is.
From Fast Company:
Uh oh. Looks like another case of a corporate behemoth ripping off the little guy. It’s mean and nasty Microsoft again, seemingly victimising microblogger service Plurk. The murky bit is that it’s happening in China, where respect for intellectual property isn’t quite the same.
Fortunately, Microsoft is taking this seriously and has suspended the service provided by their joint venture with Chinese partner Juku.
Update
Monday night, Microsoft announced that it had removed the offending feature as it investigated the charges, and now, Microsoft has admitted that the code was indeed lifted from Plurk…
“The vendor has now acknowledged that a portion of the code they provided was indeed copied. This was in clear violation of the vendor’s contract with the MSN China joint venture, and equally inconsistent with Microsoft’s policies respecting intellectual property.”
