After a drawn out face-off with landlords, demolition companies, and government officials, Tim Hilbert’s Texas Roadhouse has finally succumb to bulldozers and torch-weilding crews. After many of the bar and restaurant owners of Super Bar Street were forced out by gangs of club-wielding thugs, Hilbert stuck it out, demanding the $650,000 he invested in the Roadhouse. Both the initial offer of $50,000 and a second offer of almost triple that were denied by Hilbert.

In his pursuit for full compensation, Hilbert lived up to his home state’s ‘Lone Star’ reputation. Aside from the lawyers and consultants to do the beaureacratic battles, he hired a half dozen Chinese out-of-town tough guys to defend the bar from late night demolition crews. Even more brazen, he lead a demonstration in front of Zhongnanhai (central headquarters for the Central People’s Government) which lead to a five hour detention by police.

But for all of Hilbert’s tenacity, it was futile in the face of government mandates and eager demolition crews. After a brigade of various law enforcement officials arrived, movers cleared out the last of Hilbert’s property and demolition crews began tearing down the Roadhouse’s haggard facade.

When asked if he would continue to fight, Hilbert responded: “Absolutely, I’m a Texan.”

Links & Sources:

• Wall Street Journal
• Xianguo

While the Chinese Net Nanny has ensured that accessing Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and even Danwei is nearly impossible, there is one site that might make you feel lucky to be surfing the web in China: Google.cn.

Following in the steps of Baidu, Google has jumped on the free music bandwagon, offering downloads to users in China only. But Google has avoided the possibility of Baidu-like lawsuits by teaming up with the big record labels that will get a share of the advertising pie. However, this situation is less than ideal for both Google and the record companies. Forbes said the “music industry’s decision to turn over their catalogs in exchange for a share of such a measly new revenue stream illustrates the desperation of record labels in China.” And you can be sure Google is making the move to increase their 29% share of the Chinese market.

Whenever Google does something, they do it big and do it right. Google China offers more than a million songs from both Chinese and foreign artists. Google’s interface looks much better than Baidu’s and is easier to use too. Searching songs on Baidu will bring up a huge list of stuff you don’t want, whereas Google has more relevant search results and displays whole albums that can be added to playlists or downloaded directly. But the best thing about Google’s free downloads is the speed; you can download an album faster than you can find what you’re looking for on Baidu.

Links & Sources:

Google China Music Homepage

New York Times: Google and Music Labels Bet on Downloads in China

Wall Street Journal: Keep An Eye On Baidu’s Competition

Merry Mart supermarket (美廉美 - měi lián měi) is officially Beijing’s first supermarket to be sued over their background music. Some workers from the Music Copyright Society of China (音乐著作权协会 - yīnyuè zhùzuòquán xiéhuì) brought along a small recording device to show that Merry Mart was infringing copyright law by playing Candlelit Mama (烛光里的妈妈) by 毛阿敏, a sappy song about a mother and daughter growing old.

The Music Copyright Society of China demanded 10,000 yuan for usage of the song and 6000 yuan for legal costs. Unfortunately for them, the judges in the HaiDian court only made Merry Mart pay 500 yuan for using the song and 1700 for legal fees.

This may have been the first supermarket targeted by copyright crimefighters, but it wont be the last. In the midst of piracy and copyright issues popping up in China, there are sure to be more legal battles like this in the future.

And, for your listening pleasure, Candlelit Mama with lyrics! Enjoy!

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妈妈我想对您说，
话到嘴边又咽下，
妈妈我想对您笑，
眼里却点点泪花。
噢妈妈，烛光里的妈妈，
您的黑发泛起了霜花，
噢妈妈，烛光里的妈妈，
您的脸颊印着这多牵挂。
噢妈妈，烛光里的妈妈，
您的腰身倦得不再挺拔，
噢妈妈，烛光里的妈妈，
您的眼睛为何失去了光华，
妈妈呀，女儿已长大，
不愿意牵着您的衣襟走过春秋冬夏。
噢妈妈，烛光里的妈妈，
您的腰身倦得不再挺拔，
噢妈妈，烛光里的妈妈，
您的眼睛为何失去了光华，
妈妈呀，女儿已长大，
不愿意牵着您的衣襟走过春秋冬夏。
噢妈妈相信我，
女儿自有女儿的报答。
噢妈妈相信我，
女儿自有女儿的报答。

Links & Sources:

• The Beijing News - 新京报
• Merry Mart
• Music Copyright Society of China

The Microsoft ‘black screen’ anti-piracy fix has been a topic for debate all over the computerized world. What it does is detect illegitimate or counterfeit versions of Microsoft Windows, turning the PC desktop background black every 60 minutes, displaying notifications urging users to take action and collecting system information on the PC with counterfeit Windows.
As a result, China - one of the world’s largest MS Windows users - is providing plenty of criticism against Microsoft’s so-called invasion of privacy. Undoubtedly, Microsoft should have refined the blackout fix so that legitimate MS software users are not affected (which even happens with legitimate copies of Windows that were not registered or activated). With over 80% of PC software used in China being counterfeit (Business Software Alliance), these complaints do sound outrageous. To say the least.
Ever heard a story of a thief filing a lawsuit against a home owner that protected his home so well that the thief was injured while trying to rob the house? And – whether an old urban legend or true – this story does pose the question: If you break the law, are you really in a position to complain when you don’t like the consequences? Is the concept of intellectual property really that hard to grasp?

It’s a simple matter of cause and effect: if you do something you know is wrong by definition, you better be ready for retribution. Reasons like “they are being unfair” or “this is an invasion of privacy” do not change the fact that the majority of computers sold in China are loaded with pirated software.
From criticizing the effects, let’s look at the cause. Let’s look at how much money Microsoft is losing annually in China alone. Does Microsoft not have the right to protect their interests?
So to those who think themselves immune from consequences of their actions: think about it. Once the cause and effect are in their proper place, it is fairly clear who’s to blame.