Microsoft has launched legal proceedings for defamation against Brazilian magazine Carta Capital, which published a story accusing the corporation of 'drug dealer practices'.

The claim has also been filed against Sergio Amadeu, a senior official in the Brazilian government and a major subject of the article. Mr Amadeu is an outspoken supporter of open source software, a method of developing free software through a community of developers, which presents a commercial challenge to Microsoft.

"In defending free software, Mr. Amadeu does not abstain from criticising Microsoft, accusing the company of a 'drug-dealer practice' for offering the operational system Windows to some governments and city administrations for digital inclusion programs," says Microsoft in the claim filed at Sao Paulo’s criminal court on 7 June.

Mr Amadeu is also president of Brazil's National Institute of Technology. Writing on the group's website, Mr Amadeu responded to Microsoft's action by saying that the "judicial provocation imposed against me is so unusual and improper that it does not deserve any answer.

"The future is free."

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See also:
Newsforge: http://trends.newsforge.com/trends/04/06/20/1420245.shtml?tid=137&tid=147
Carta Capital:
http://cartacapital.terra.com.br/site/exibe_materia.php?id_materia=1324
National Institute of Technology: http://www.iti.br/twiki/bin/view/Main/PressRelease2004Jun17A
Microsoft: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/