Espionage employee slams "shameful" Microsoft

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 2 Feb 2009 at 10:11

A former Microsoft employee accused of stealing company information has lashed out at Microsoft's lawsuit against him calling it "desperate and shameful".

Miki Mullor was employed by Microsoft for three years, but was fired and sued by the company for allegedly downloading documents related to a technology that locks copies of Windows to specific PCs.

According to Microsoft, Mullor intended to use these documents in a patent infringement suit he was lodging against Dell, HP and Toshiba on behalf of Ancora Technologies; a company which he was apparently still the chief executive of. A fact that Microsoft claims he failed to disclose.

However, Mullor has now responded to the lawsuit in a statement debating Microsoft's version of events: "Microsoft's complaint against me in Washington is shameful and a desperate attempt to put pressure on me and my family from continuing to pursue our legal rights in the federal court in Los Angeles," he says.

"In 2003, I approached Microsoft and had several discussions with a Microsoft lawyer and employees of Microsoft's Anti Piracy group about my invention and the benefits Microsoft could realise by using it. Microsoft declined and said it had no interest in my invention.

"We ceased business operations at Ancora in 2005, and Microsoft was the first company to extend me an employment offer. I accepted.

"When I joined Microsoft, I notified it in writing of Ancora and my patent in both my resume and in my employment agreement. In its complaint against me, Microsoft withheld the portions of these key documents that show this.

"At the same time I was employed at Microsoft, but unknown to me, Microsoft was developing what is now known as OEM Activation. OEM Activation is a blatant copy of my invention."

The case is ongoing.