The *big* issue, if they're not in the US... then its Department of Commerce that's involved.

And if Microsoft thinks that Netscape and Sun and etc can run to the DoJ NOW and get action, They Ain't Seen What DoC do.

And DoC ain't gotta do things "legal", either. Their process is slanted towards the complainant, and its up to the respondant to prove beyond a possible doubt that its wrong. :)

(Example: Company is making high-performance somethings. They put out a big and its won by a Japanese steel place. US Steel goes to DoC, and gets that stopped - despite the fact that they are not CAPABLE of delivering the purity and tolerances required. They merely say that they MIGHT be able to do that, and DoC orders the company to award them the contract. 2 years later, not a single shipment that meets the specs (that the Japanese firm was able to easily), the first company bellies up under the lawsuits they're under for failure to deliver....)

*THAT'S* What I'd be worried about. :) DoC allows farmers (the big corporate ones) to "estimate" what it cost foreign growers, and then decide "how much" profit is allowable... (In one instance I read about, Mexican fruit was declared to be "dumping" since the farmers _likely_ had 3 children each, who would have worked 40 hours, unpaid......)

I Don't Think M$ Wants to Face Sun Down, Down There.

Without US law, Gates can't collect a cent.

That law doesn't change.

When StarOffice was German, when Linux was in Finland, US copywrite law still protected them. And it'll still protect Windows and other Microsoft possessions even if they leave.

What it *will* do is *kill them* for the big, backend financial, travel, etc stuff that they want to do.

Those are the biggies. As well as the slight problem of getting the bandwidth that they enjoy in Redmond in Ecuador. :)

Addison