Microsoft has filed 20 more lawsuits against alleged software pirates, launched an antipiracy Web site.
United States of America (Press Release) November 2, 2007 --
Microsoft launched a Web site and also revealed that it has filed 20 more lawsuits against people it claims are dealing counterfeit or pirated software in 13 states.
The new Web site provides information for how customers can tell whether software is genuine. It shows examples of suspicious packaging and other clues that can help alert users if they're buying the real deal or a fake copy of Windows or other Microsoft software.
Lawsuits were filed against alleged counterfeiters in Alabama, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Virginia, Microsoft said. The company has been systematically investigating and filing lawsuits over the past two years against individuals or companies it believes is illegally counterfeit or pirated versions of its software.
Among the companies cited in the lawsuits as distributing software that infringes on Microsoft's intellectual property (IP) are F.A.R., Bisdex and Computer America in Alabama; Ben's Hobby Computers and Ram Computers in Georgia; Cyber Cycle in Illinois; TNT Auto Glass and Computer Repair in Mississippi; and Puterology in New York. SQL Server 2000, Windows XP Pro and Office 2003 Pro are among the software applications the companies allegedly are distributing illegally, according to Microsoft.
Wednesday's moves are part of Microsoft's Genuine Software Initiative (GSI), which the company launched in July 2005 to prevent pirated and counterfeited versions of Microsoft software being sold to users. The initiative has three parts -- education, engineering, and enforcement. According to some analyst reports, software companies lose billions of dollars every year to software pirates.
People have mixed views of Microsoft's efforts to prevent software pirating and counterfeiting. Some feel that the company's investigative measures are intrusive, such as Windows Genuine Advantage, an automated program that checks users' PCs automatically through Windows to see if they are running a genuine version of the software. Others say Microsoft is merely protecting its valuable IP and business interests by cracking down on software piracy
Author: Elizabeth Montalbano
Source: http://www.pcworld.com/
The new Web site provides information for how customers can tell whether software is genuine. It shows examples of suspicious packaging and other clues that can help alert users if they're buying the real deal or a fake copy of Windows or other Microsoft software.
Lawsuits were filed against alleged counterfeiters in Alabama, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Virginia, Microsoft said. The company has been systematically investigating and filing lawsuits over the past two years against individuals or companies it believes is illegally counterfeit or pirated versions of its software.
Among the companies cited in the lawsuits as distributing software that infringes on Microsoft's intellectual property (IP) are F.A.R., Bisdex and Computer America in Alabama; Ben's Hobby Computers and Ram Computers in Georgia; Cyber Cycle in Illinois; TNT Auto Glass and Computer Repair in Mississippi; and Puterology in New York. SQL Server 2000, Windows XP Pro and Office 2003 Pro are among the software applications the companies allegedly are distributing illegally, according to Microsoft.
Wednesday's moves are part of Microsoft's Genuine Software Initiative (GSI), which the company launched in July 2005 to prevent pirated and counterfeited versions of Microsoft software being sold to users. The initiative has three parts -- education, engineering, and enforcement. According to some analyst reports, software companies lose billions of dollars every year to software pirates.
People have mixed views of Microsoft's efforts to prevent software pirating and counterfeiting. Some feel that the company's investigative measures are intrusive, such as Windows Genuine Advantage, an automated program that checks users' PCs automatically through Windows to see if they are running a genuine version of the software. Others say Microsoft is merely protecting its valuable IP and business interests by cracking down on software piracy
Author: Elizabeth Montalbano
Source: http://www.pcworld.com/
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