This is kind of goofy but interesting. A company called Kingsoft sued a company called 360 WebShield for forcing users to uninstall Kingsoft’s software on installing their own software. A small window would pop up to warn the user and they’d click a button to automatically run the install. Needless to say no one needs two anti-virus programs running at once, but Kingsoft saw it as an unfair practice.
According to a Kingsoft release, “The court ordered 360 to immediately stop all acts of unfair competition, give a public explanation to remove the effects and pay an indemnity of 300,000 yuan.” However, the release devolves into a mess of trash-talking near the end.
At the end of 2009, 360 launched 360 WebShield after the fashion of Kingsoft Antivirus WebShield Service, but so far it is still technically behind Kingsoft. Kingsoft Antivirus WebShield Service 360 loomed threateningly behind Security Guard by maintaining a high growth momentum. In May 2010 when the number of Kingsoft Antivirus WebShield Service users approached 100 million, 360 mobilized 360 Security Guard that had 300 million users to launch a smear campaign based on incompatibility arguments and induce users to force uninstall Kingsoft Antivirus WebShield Service.
360 Security Guard deliberately set up an obstacle in its software to force uninstall Kingsoft Antivirus WebShield Service in May last year and thereafter published a series of fictitious articles on its official website under the title Explanations Concerning Kingsoft Antivirus WebShield Service Interfering With the Running of 360 Security Guard, in which it defamed Kingsoft Antivirus WebShield Service by alleging that it obstructs the normal running of 360 Security Guard, fabricated stories to smear Kingsoft Antivirus WebShield Service by saying that it contains loopholes and distorted the facts by claiming that Kingsoft Antivirus WebShield Service is inferior to 360 Security Guard in an attempt to scare consumers away from using Kingsoft Antivirus WebShield Service and inflict further damage on Kingsoft security software.
Looks like these guys don’t mess around when it comes to shutting each other down. At this point there’s no telling who is winning this battle as 360 has surpassed 300 million downloads and is seemingly Asia-only.