Army to Gates: Halt the free software

c|net news.com ^ | March 10, 2004, | Ina Fried

[cc2k]

Army to Gates: Halt the free software

Last modified: March 10, 2004, 4:00 AM PST
By Ina Fried
Staff Writer, CNET News.com

Microsoft has been mailing free copies of its pricey Office productivity software to government employees, but CNET News.com has learned that at least two federal agencies are warning recipients to return the gifts or risk violating federal ethics policies.

Since the launch of Office 2003 last year, Microsoft has given out tens of thousands of free copies of its flagship software, which retails for about $500, to workers at its biggest customers. The giveaway was expanded to government workers this year, but ethics offices at the Department of the Interior and Department of Defense have said the offers constitute unauthorized gifts and must be returned.

The Department of the Army went a step further, calling on Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates to stop sending the software to Army personnel.

"We ask that you cease immediately the mailing of free software, and other types of gifts, to the Department of the Army personnel," Deputy General Counsel Matt Reres said in a Feb. 19 letter seen by CNET News.com. "Your offer of free software places our employees and soldiers in jeopardy of unknowingly committing a violation of the ethics rules and regulations to which they have taken an oath to uphold."

The issue comes up as many governments are looking at open-source alternatives for Office and the Windows operating system. The British government has been evaluating a switch to the Linux OS, while open-source software is also being eyed in Korea, China, India and even at some local agencies in the United States.

Microsoft's giveaway also comes as the company faces ongoing oversight by the Justice Department as part of its settlement of antitrust allegations.

A Microsoft representative said giving away the software is a way to let some customers experience new features. "The goal of the program was to give customers a taste of the software and allow them to learn how it might be of use to their organizations in a positive way," Microsoft spokesman Keith Hodson said.

Although Office has captured more than 90 percent of the market for productivity software, convincing customers to upgrade to the latest versions of Office has become a growing challenge for the company. And upgrades are essential to Microsoft: Office and Windows produce substantially all the company's profits.

To address ethical concerns, Microsoft includes a note with copies of the software letting government workers know that they can send the software back to Microsoft without charge if receiving such a gift violates their agency's rules.

"Government Entities: Microsoft intends that this product be used in accordance with applicable laws and regulations for the evaluation, use and benefit of your government agency only," Microsoft states in the note. "You may, at your discretion, return this product package to Microsoft at its expense."

Hodson said the company hoped such language would allow any agency that did not appreciate the offer to easily send back the software.

"Not every government organization, as we're learning, finds it to be a valuable program," Hodson said. "We would like to think that there will be a variety of government organizations that will find value in the program."

For now, Microsoft said it will continue the strategy but will stop sending software to any particular agency that requests the company do so. The software maker did not say how many copies of the program have been sent to government employees.

According to the Department of Defense, delivery of the software was preceded by a card explaining that Office would be arriving "in the coming weeks" and that the software was being sent "without obligation."

The Defense Department's Standards of Conduct Office was among the first to take action, warning its workers in a Feb. 13 advisory not to accept the software.

"These items have been determined to be gifts from a prohibited source, and may not be accepted by (Defense Department) employees," the agency said in its advisory. "If received, the items should be returned to Microsoft."

The ethics office of the Department of the Interior said it had not heard reports of its employees receiving the software, but decided last month to warn its 65,000 workers after hearing about the Department of Defense's reaction.

"We looked at it as a marketing gambit," said Arthur Gary, deputy director of the Interior Department's ethics office. "We just wanted to apply the gift rules to it."

The department, which oversees national parks and other federal lands, concluded last month that the software constituted an unacceptable gift--one valued at more than $20 and from a party with whom the department does business or whom it regulates. Since issuing the memo, Gary said, the agency has heard of at least one employee receiving the software.

"We just kind of wanted to spread the word," Gary said. "We want to head off any problems."

If the response of those two government agencies is any indication of how other departments will respond, Microsoft may back away from the program.

"Based on an overall response we receive from governments," Hodson said, "we may look at doing things differently the next time."

[cc2k]

I'm sure they thought, "What's wrong with using a few illegal gifts to 'prime the pump' for Office 2003?" Unfortunately, if this goes to any ethics review board or court, they could rule that Microsoft Office isn't "something of value" and so, no laws were broken.

Sooner or later, customers get tired of the "upgrade game" that MS likes to play. It's foolish to spend so much money on new software when the current version you've already paid for works just fine for what you need.

[cc2k]

Pinging the tech pingers (and other interested parties).

[rdb3]

The Penguin Ping.

Wanna be Penguified? Just holla!

Got root?

[sheltonmac]

Microsoft just doesn't understand how the military and other government organizations work. Nothing can be given away. It first has to go through miles and miles of red tape and end up costing thousands and thousands of dollars.

[B Knotts]

They understand; they just don't care. They hope to get a few copies of their new software installed, so as to create compatibility hassles that encourage the whole organization to upgrade. That's how they do business.

[coloradan]

You're a good MS cheerleader - perhaps you can explain to me how Gates's behavior differs from that of a drug pusher, who gives away samples of the latest drug "for free," expecting some change the new users will become addicted and therefore become valuable future customers.

[hchutch]

FYI ping.

[blowfish]

Well, I am probably the least microsoft-friendly person around. But since Bush200 took his 'niceness vow' this week, I will help him out:
The main difference between your two examples is that a drug pusher's activities are clearly illegal. Microsoft's tactics, while pushing the envelope, are not *quite* outside the 'really aggressive business practice' realm. The intent might be the same, but Microsoft left themselves enough wiggle room to argue that recipients had the clearly-stated option to return the software.
Jeez, I'm defending Microsoft. Someone just slap me until I snap out of it...

[Old Professer]

If it's like the "free" Office 2003 that came with this computer, it wouldn't be any good; it expires after 3 months once you register it and leaves all the directory garbage on your HD.

[cosine]

Wow, such purity! Do you put companies who offer free samples at grocery stores, in the newspaper, and at various events in the same category?

Plus you apparently find Microsoft products addictive. They're that good? Really?

[Salo]

As I posted on /., if you can't eat their food, drink their liquor and [beeeeeep] their women and still do the right thing, you have no business being here. I got a free copy of Office 2k3 Pro a few weeks ago and have installed it on my home pc and at work. I love it. I won't be buying their server architecture to get the full use out of it, but I'm not returning it unopened, either.

[Howlin]

But since Bush200 took his 'niceness vow' this week, I will help him out:

ROFLMAO!

[Howlin]

I'm not sure what the rules that apply here are, but most government employees cannot accept any gift over the amount of $50 (not that that stops the Senate and House -- did you see the report yesterday on CNN that shows that the members of the Senate have a MUCH better rate of success on Wall Street than brokerage houses?).

[Blood of Tyrants]

The free software are available free to EVERYONE. Not free to some people and $500 to others. I agree with the government, this is clearly a possible ethics violation.

[Blood of Tyrants]

The free software at the grocery store checkout are available free to EVERYONE. Not free to some people and $500 to others. I agree with the government, this is clearly a possible ethics violation.

[hchutch]

Furthermore, this freebie is no different than what they give the private sector.

As Vic Deakins once said, "I don't see what the big deal is."

[kevkrom]

Microsoft should have provided time-limited evaluation copies -- they just weren't thinking, apparently, because the rules about gifts to government employees are very clear.

[Poohbah]

It's a big no-no for a government employee to accept a gift from a contractor.

[coloradan]

The only difference is that drugs are contraband and software isn't. Bribes are illegal, and "gifts" that might influence purchase decisions for government agencies are arguably bribes, even if the decision isn't made because of the niceness of the gift, but because only future purchases will be compatible with the gifts.

[coloradan]

1. Grocery stores don't give food away to government agents hoping to shape legislation or purchase decisions regarding same. Can you make the same claim about Microsoft software, especially in light of the stated intention of the agencies to consider open source solutions?

2. Addictive != good.