I'm not praising MS. It seems they didn't pick their development partner wisely and they should certainly make it up to Plurk. My objection was based on the fact that MS has already showed a willingness to do this by issuing an unusually candid and fulsome apology.
The wise thing now for Plurk is to accept that apology gracefully and work with rather than against MS to move forward. If they don't want to be acquired, perhaps MS can devote their legal resources to helping Plurk gain access to the China market as a development partner, or lend some development resources to help Plurk package their solution into an API that MS and others can license a la Wordpress.
At present, MS is (almost certainly) spending good money on having their lawyers work out a defensive strategy against a possible lawsuit that will cost them a lot in bad press but which Plurk probably can't complete, given the implication that they don't even have funds or expertise to hire a PR company. I presume it's Plurk's Taiwanese business identity that keeps them out of the market in mainland China (since China technically views Taiwan as a rebellious province rather than a separate country, for historical reasons).
Some Taiwanese companies do conduct business in China, but Plurk is likely too small to tap the necessary diplomatic channels that facilitate such arrangements. MS could surely assist with that...if Plurk will let them. What Taiwanese diplomat will want to advocate for them if there's a chance it could lead to loss of face down the line? By maintaining their aggrieved stance, Plurk risks being given a grudging payoff to go away, whereas if they respond graciously, they might get the keys to the kingdom. The one thing more annoying than a sore loser is a sore winner.
The wise thing now for Plurk is to accept that apology gracefully and work with rather than against MS to move forward. If they don't want to be acquired, perhaps MS can devote their legal resources to helping Plurk gain access to the China market as a development partner, or lend some development resources to help Plurk package their solution into an API that MS and others can license a la Wordpress.
At present, MS is (almost certainly) spending good money on having their lawyers work out a defensive strategy against a possible lawsuit that will cost them a lot in bad press but which Plurk probably can't complete, given the implication that they don't even have funds or expertise to hire a PR company. I presume it's Plurk's Taiwanese business identity that keeps them out of the market in mainland China (since China technically views Taiwan as a rebellious province rather than a separate country, for historical reasons).
Some Taiwanese companies do conduct business in China, but Plurk is likely too small to tap the necessary diplomatic channels that facilitate such arrangements. MS could surely assist with that...if Plurk will let them. What Taiwanese diplomat will want to advocate for them if there's a chance it could lead to loss of face down the line? By maintaining their aggrieved stance, Plurk risks being given a grudging payoff to go away, whereas if they respond graciously, they might get the keys to the kingdom. The one thing more annoying than a sore loser is a sore winner.