The China Consumers' Association (CCA) is inviting lawyers and industry experts to discuss whether the Microsoft "black screen" anti-piracy project is an infringement on consumers' rights, the Beijing News reported on Saturday.

The computer software mammoth Microsoft last week launched the "Windows Genuine Advantage" (WGA) and "Office Genuine Advantage" (OGA) tools to test the legitimacy of the software in China's computers connected to the Internet.

Those whose software failed the tests would see a black desktop or a permanent warning of pirated Office software.

Although the company repeated it would not collect personal information with the tools, which would not affect computer use, controversy over the move has escalated.

Dong Zhengwei, a 35-year-old Beijing lawyer, has made a submission to the State Administration for Industry and Commerce suggesting a fine of US$1 billion for Microsoft.

Lawyer Dong, among other 30 experts, was also invited to the CCA discussion on whether the Microsoft activities break the Chinese anti-trust and other laws.

Meanwhile, the attendees talked about the argument that Microsoft has discrimination against Chinese consumers by initiating the China-targeted drive. They suggested what the CCA should do to protect Chinese consumers' rights.

The CCA sources were quoted by the Beijing News as saying the association would collect more advice from a broader spectrum of the industry and the legal field before shaping its own opinion on the issue.

(Xinhua News Agency November 1, 2008)