Microsoft sues more resellers over piracy
Eight companies in five states have been targeted by Microsfot for selling pirated software. The lawsuits were filed in Arizona, California, Illinois, Minnesota and New York against companies that allegedly sold counterfeit copies of software such as Office 2000 Professional and Windows XP, Microsoft said in a statement Monday.
The lawsuits are part of Microsoft’s continued crackdown on software piracy, which the company acknowledges cuts into its earnings. According to the Business Software Alliance, of all the software installed on personal computers worldwide in 2004, 35 percent was pirated, resulting in $33 billion in losses. Tips from users who called Microsoft’s piracy tip line (1-800-RU-LEGIT) and information derived from the company’s Windows Genuine Advantage program helped identify some of the accused sellers of pirated products, Microsoft said. The software maker also used its own “secret shoppers” to gather evidence, it said.
Comments are closed.