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Mapuche Indians claim language as "Intellectual Property," take Microsoft to court over translation

Flag of the Mapuche Indians

Mapuche Indians in Chile are trying to take global software giant Microsoft to court in a legal battle which raises the question of whether anyone can ever “own” the language they speak.

The row was sparked by Microsoft’s decision last month to launch its Windows software package in Mapuzugun, a Mapuche tongue spoken by around 400,000 indigenous Chileans, mostly in the south of the country.

At the launch in the southern town of Los Sauces, Microsoft said it wanted to help Mapuches embrace the digital age and “open a window so that the rest of the world can access the cultural riches of this indigenous people”.

But Mapuche tribal leaders have accused the U.S. company of violating their cultural and collective heritage by translating the software into Mapuzugun without their permission.

They even sent a letter to Microsoft founder Bill Gates accusing his company of “intellectual piracy”.1

Wow! And these guys know how to fight! Not only did the Mapuche defeat the Incan invasions and attempts to overtake the Mapuche, but they also turned back the Spanish Conquistadors!

The complaint has been forwarded to a high court in Santiago, Chile.

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