"Peter T. Breuer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> In comp.os.linux.misc David Schwartz <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> "Peter T. Breuer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message >> news:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >> I don't know what drugs you're on, but the McDonald's corporation >> most >> certainly is in the business of the wholesale distribution of burger >> patties. One key reason to become a franchisee is to access their >> wholesale >> distribution network. > Then they are not in the wholesale business. So lock the drugs cabinet. > (What they are marketting is a "brand", complete with clowns and > arches, and a secret formula for making up patties in buns). So is Microsoft, except the clowns write the software. When a shop sells machines that ship with Microsoft Windows, it is to some extent the power of Microsoft's brand that brings them into the shop. All I'm saying is that if Microsoft had insisted on exclusive deals to offer Windows at wholesale, that would have been entirely reasonable. Microsoft actually insisted on something less than this. The Windows name is a valuable brand, and advertising it and promoting it got you business. Microsoft doesn't want to see customers drawn in by the power of its brand being switched to competing products. How would the McDonald's corporation feel if you walked into a store because of the pretty golden arches (that in McDonald's opinion, assure the customer of getting quality McDonald's food) and the person at the counter said, "try a Whopper, it's cheaper and tastes better too". There is nothing unusual about wholesale agreements that restrict your ability to sell competing products. DS -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
