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Microsoft in row over site closure

A web site specialising in Microsoft and Windows news was taken offline for nearly 24 hours last week after allegedly infringing Microsoft's copyright.

The software giant took exception to a posting in the forum section of neowin.net which concerned Microsoft's Windows XP Peer-toPeer Software Development Kit (SDK) and apparently included pirated software. Microsoft sent a request that the offending item be removed.

In a surprising move by Neowin's internet service provider, which has not been named, the site was pulled on Thursday 13 March 2003 and was not live again until late the following day.

Neowin's web host, Invision Power Services Hosting (IPS) was not contacted and the request for the takedown was sent to the upstream service provider responsible for the site's web connection.

"Microsoft should have contacted Neowin directly," said a spokesperson for IPS. "This was like going three levels up the command chain."

A Microsoft representative pointed out they only intended the single page to be removed and that the internet service provider was responsible for pulling the entire site.

Tom Warren, a forum moderator for Neowin, claimed that when problems had occurred in the past, Microsoft had contacted them directly and Neowin had responded to its requests. "We are all a bit dazed as to why Microsoft or its contracted partner decided to contact our server host and not us."

Protocol for such matters generally results in the removal of the offending material, rather than the closure of an entire web site.

The closure led to the loss of a month's online content for Neowin, due to a problem with their SQL server back-up.

Source: http://news.com.com/2102-1025-991624.html

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microsoft | isp | online content | internet service | web host | pirated software | web site specialising | software giant | web connection | tom warren |

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