Winter is icummin in, Lhude sing Goddamm - John Bryan
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Small British outfit takes on US software giant
A SMALL UK software house called World Programming (WP) was a little spooked last week to discover it had been sued by a US business analysis software powerhouse, the SAS Institute.
Last week SAS announced to the world that it was giving an evil British copycat a good kicking for nicking its software. SAS is claiming that WP ran its software to study and copy it, and has been selling its copy.
The lawsuit might have gone unnoticed, but World Programming decided to fight back and has taken its campaign to the world wide web, where it has been getting lots of support.
Basically the problem is that the SAS Institute had the field of business analytics software largely to itself. Then World Programming produced a competing SAS language interpreter.
Basically the WP software allows anyone to write and run SAS language applications without requiring any software from the monopoly provider, the SAS Institute. Rubbing it in, WP has also been flogging its software at much lower prices than SAS charges.
Oliver Robinson of World Programming has decided to fight the SAS Institute head on in the High Court.
Robinson said that SAS issued its claim with the sole intention of scaring the smaller UK firm and its customers.
World Programming maintains it has worked hard for over seven years to produce a successful software product.
Robinson said that this claim looks like a last-ditch attempt by SAS to hold onto its monopoly position.
Alexander Carter-Silk, head of the Technology Group at Speechly Bircham, which is advising World Programming, said that SAS is claiming that the way World Programming used a $100 learning package was not permitted by the terms of the click-wrap license.
SAS claims that WP ran the SAS Learning Edition software package "for the purposes of observing its operation and functions in order to develop the WPS software in a way which reproduces the operation and functions of the SAS System".
However Carter-Silk claims that under European law anyone can observe the operation and functioning of a computer program and develop interoperable or alternative software that does the same thing.
Observers have speculated that SAS might have thought World Programming would cave in when it saw the size of the multi-billion dollar company's briefs. µ
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And how much pain will SAS have to endure before they change ways? Will 20 to 30% drop in market share catch their attention?
For years, SAS has played pricing games. Just about everyone is sick of paying for hotels, art, country clubs, health clubs and 35 hour work weeks in addition to their software.
And you wonder why the EU have taken to crushing large American corporations like Intel, MS, Oracle and Sun?
Expect there to be reprisals for this action from the EU regulators in the coming months of years, even if it means someone else getting a slap owed to SAS.
The point of a proprietary combustible-engine vehicle design can not be to prohibit combustion in nature.
...That American based companies and individuals often live in their own little bubble. (Some Americans are aware and understand this, but most aren't).
They don't get that when you play in someone else's backyard (like Iraq, Afghanistan, or in this case; the UK), they aren't in the good old USA any more. They're operating under someone else's rules, etc.
...What one may deem acceptable in US, is not necessarily tolerated in other parts of the world.
As a citizen of US, I say that American government and companies have to realize that laws in other parts of world are different. This case is properly tried in a British court and should be guided by British law. Too damn bad if SAS doesn't like it. They don't have to sell overseas.
I am getting a bit fed up with arrogant attitude of US government and US companies that US law should prevail world-wide.
Guys, it's call self-determination, and if you don't like other people making their laws to suit their own circumstances, then stay within US borders and stop your pathetic whining.
Likewise, Euro-peons should stop telling us in US how to run our country. We are not here for your benefit as you aren't for ours.
It is the absurd pricing of SAS that allows for companies like WPS to produce an alternative program that can run SAS code.
I think many customers are fed up with paying for the SAS castles and landhouses...