do a people have legal rights to language?

[Hells Bells]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061123/...s_microsoft_dc
i would thoroughly agree, just as a people should have the right to protect their culture from their enemies, they should also have the legal rights to their cultural inheritance (in the above example, their language) and should be able to defend that cultural inheritance against those who would seek to profit from it.
i would liken that to foreigners who would steal priceless artifacts and sell them on ebay. By definition a cultural inheritance is priceless and something priceless should not be sold as it has no price.

my stance on the mapuches vs microsoft issue, microsoft should have to pay them royalties. The chilean govt should set it as another national language, and in doing so require microsoft to offer the language, and then have to pay royalties for it. The mapuches are not known for their affluence, so microsoft should not begrudge them the money.

[RusskiSoldat]

The way I see it, is that they're reactionaries standing in the way of progress.
Also a language is public domain in my opinion, and I fail to see how releasing Windows in this obscure tongue would hurt it, it would in fact protect the community by not forcing them to learn a more mainstream language (such as English or Spanish) in order to use computers.

[happyho]

I'm sorry but I disagree with your contention that Microsoft should pay them royalties. In fact I think Microsoft should defend itself and it's decision to translate Windows into Mapuzugun as vigorously as possible. I hesitate to call it a frivolous lawsuit however if they give in to the Mapuche people's lawsuit, it may cause Microsoft and other companies to re-assess any futur projects to translate Windows or any other software into other native languages.

Even worse it could cause other indigenous cultures to launch their own lawsuits in the hopes of capitalizing on any legal victories the Mapuche people win. This could set other cultures that want computer software in their own languages back by causing companies to decide the danger of litigation is too risky to be worth the effort. After all the Chilean government supported Microsofts decision to translate Windows into Mapuzugun and the Mapuche people are citizens of Chile. It seems that this lawsuit may be nothing more than a way for the Mapuche people to get publicity for their push to have Mapuzugun recognized as an official state language alongside Spanish.

Microsoft should be applauded for their work translating their software into indigenous languages rather than be taken to court for this. It is certainly an expensive task translating entire software packages into another language and they should be thanked because too many large corporations marginalize and do little to help native peoples as Microsoft seems to be attempting to do in this case. Having software in their own native languages will make it possible for more people to use computers and learn modern skill sets that could help them break the poverty cycle that afflicts many native peoples around the world, not only in South or North America.

This issue goes beyond one cultures desire for recognition of their language as an official state language or any other considerations they may have. This lawsuit could have repurcussions that could be felt around the world by many native cultures that want and need software in their own language. Thus I feel Microsoft in this case is in the right and should hopefully not be discouraged by this lawsuit and continue in their efforts at translation of Windows and as much of their software into other indigenous tongues. It would be all too easy for Microsoft or any other major corporation to say "400,000 people? Not worth the time and money translating into their language, if they want our software they can learn English".

[danzig]

my stance on the mapuches vs microsoft issue, microsoft should have to pay them royalties. The chilean govt should set it as another national language, and in doing so require microsoft to offer the language, and then have to pay royalties for it. The mapuches are not known for their affluence, so microsoft should not begrudge them the money.

Are you serious? Why should they have to pay a royalty for what is basically them wasting their energy in providing a project to small language minority? If anything Microsoft should shrug and tell them to screw off and remove the language. This is a nonsense lawsuit and I cant phantom why anyone would support it. By the article there is like 400,000 people who speak the language...sheesh what bastards Microsoft is for trying to tap into that market by offering them a product. Its not like Microsoft is profiting from this unless people buy the product and er isnt that the point to provide a service/product that people *want*.

What next suing foreign language films? Language and culture cannot be 'owned' by anyone, they arent intellectual property as claimed in the article they are creation of civilizations as a whole. Hell maybe the Brits should try and get a royalty payment on any transaction/usage of English...that would surely bring in a nice pay check.

Not worth the time and money translating into their language, if they want our software they can learn English".

That hits on a good point, you know for ages now western companies have been hit for having a eurocentric view on things but then when companies go beyond that and realize the world is truly 'global' and tap into other markets (even ones as insignificant as this one and lets be honest 400k people is nothing to Microsoft) they get attacked for that too.

[imb39]

I think Microsoft is perfectly within it's right. It is for individual users to decide whether they wish to use this language version. Those who complain about this are no different from the Papal Inquisitors who sought to keep Europe in the Dark Ages.

Culture that needs this sort of protection might already be dead.

[Erik]

Huilcaman said the Chilean government, which supported Microsoft's project, should concentrate on making Mapuzugun an official state language, alongside Spanish.

Isn't making it a state language far worst than having a windows version in their language?
Just think about the countless state documents that will be translated into his language.
So does, or does he not want others to use his language?
He's not making any sense.

(or actually he is making sense, because he obviously just wants the big $$$ from a settlement with Microsoft)

[Dromikaites]

First of all, it costs very little to translate Windows-platform software to any language if the programmers follow the guidlines set by Microsoft itself. Basically those rules say that any text message should be selected from a resources file instead of being embeded inside the code. This way translating the written stuff inside a software product would mean simply translating the content of that file, without touching the code. What would indeed cost some serious money would be supporting the Mapuzugun version.

Second, a language is public domain so those Indians would lose in court. Not to mention that making Windows (and most likely Office) available in Mapuzugun would most likely prevent that language from becomming extinct.

[Erik]

First of all, it costs very little to translate Windows-platform software to any language if the programmers follow the guidlines set by Microsoft itself. Basically those rules say that any text message should be selected from a resources file instead of being embeded inside the code.

You are right.
Windows XP has 160 language versions, adding one or two extra languages to Vista isn't going to make much difference.

But I reckon it still took a team of translators several weeks or even months to translate windows into any given language.
I doubt the extra costs associates will be earned back trough extra copies sold (note: almost everyone who can operate a computer can speak at least one major language anyways, so we are talking about only a minute fraction of the Mapuzugun speakers)

So those costs will be pushed onto the non-Mapuzugun speaking customers.
But the same is true about the thousands of other windows features nobody ever uses, so there is little reason to start complaining now.

[Caius Britannicus]

I can't believe there are some that side against microsoft. If this lawsuit is even heard by a court let alone somehow goes against microsoft it will set a dangerous precedent. What next? We pay germans royalties for german translations? Polish people royalties for any translations into that language? The idea that a language isn't public domain is a scary thought and any court that hears such nonsense from these people need to take a step back and think about the ramifications. What is insane is they are willing to take this all the way up to the International Human Rights courts. WTH! How does this effect their human rights? To me this is just a group of tribal elders that need some cash and are looking to cash in anyway they can.

[General_Curtis_LeMay]

Does this mean that I can sue Microsoft for poducing a system in english? It's the same principal, make an operating system in my language and i'll sue you for it.
-Ben

[hsimoorb]

Sounds to me like a few locals trying to see if they can squeeze some dough out of microsoft while they can. The thought that translating something into a language constitutes "cultural piracy" is ludicrous.