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Microsot Macedonia must compensate the Macedonian computer dealers for failing to protect them from Microsoft’s software bought from abroad, and for denouncing the domestic computer firms if the preinstalled software that they are selling with the computers is not bought from the office of this corporate giant in Macedonia. This is why dozens of computer dealers are now disadvantaged or suffering financial losses when bidding for tenders in our country. Some of them called our editor’s office to complain that Microsoft Macedonia is snitching on them to the inspectorates and that they are fined if they have software manufactured by Microsoft which is bought from abroad.

Zharko Nikodinovski from Niko Computers says that his reputation in the Macedonian Telecom is damaged after losing the bid for procurement of new computers and preinstalled Microsoft software, won by the Serbian company ComTrade .

The domestic ICT sector lost its competitiveness at the local procurement bids since Microsoft Macedonia allowed the entrance of a foreign company, which imported software from abroad for the Telecom. The domestic ICT companies are now less likely to win future procurement bids from Telecom, due to the uncompetitive price established by your office – Nikodinovski said.

According to him, Microsoft Macedonia is not providing good prices for a small market such as the Macedonian and is therefore failing to protect the domestic companies. However, this is not the case with the office of Microsoft Serbia, which has managed to directly procure cheaper software from Microsoft, which is now highly competitive on the Macedonian market.

In the correspondence between Nikodinovski and the head of Microsoft Macedonia, Ilijancho Gagovski, the latter says that he was aware about this, but that he was powerless to do anything about it.

“You want the law to protect you from piracy and you are sending inspections, but you deny that you are fostering anti-competitive behavior and you are aware about it, but you are not aware about our losses – says Nikodinovski.

Source: Vecher "Microsoft Macedonia working at the detriment of domestic IT dealers" issue 13756, Mar. 20, 2008

Microsoft Macedonia replies:

Software prices are identical in the whole region

The price policy of Microsoft in the standard distribution channel is equal throughout the whole region of Central and Eastern Europe, including Macedonia, said the representatives of Microsoft Macedonia regarding the reactions of some domestic computer dealers that the software of this corporate giant is too expensive in our country.

The distribution channels are always related to the national markets. The contracts with the bigger computer manufacturers in the region and worldwide are an exception, since they have the right to distribute licensed software preinstalled on new computers on any market – say from Microsoft Macedonia.

They explain that this kind of agreement with the Microsoft Corporation is based on previously contracted obligations for the sale of tens of thousands of licenses annually.

This type of agreements are also available to any Macedonian company prepared to guarantee the proper licensing of every computer on which it installs Microsoft products, within the frames of a pre-determined extent – stressed the representatives of Microsoft Macedonia.

Source: Vecher "Microsoft Macedonia: Software prices are identical in the whole region" issue 13757, Mar. 21, 2008