Microsoft cracks down on Internet software piracy

 

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Posted on 3 Apr 2001 at 16:58

Microsoft has released details of a second concerted sweep of the Internet for software piracy and fraud. Following a similar exercise back in August, criminal actions have been brought in 22 countries worldwide.

As well as online auctions - an obvious source for pirated software - Microsoft investigated a number of Websites and resellers worldwide. Employing its own Internet monitoring tool - the leads from which are followed up by teams of piracy specialists - the month of February alone saw 6,430 "takedowns".

In the UK, Microsoft worked with the National Crime Squad and Trading Standards Officers. For one case - a multi-million pound international trafficking racket - the three defendants were found guilty in a London court at the end of last month. The case involved bundling counterfeit disks imported from Asia with genuine Certificate of Authenticity labels obtained in the armed robbery of a Scottish printing factory.

"Since last August's global sweep, nearly five million units of counterfeit Microsoft software and hardware were seized worldwide, with an estimated retail value of over £1.2 billion - a dramatic increase from last year," said Julia Phillpot, anti-piracy manager for Microsoft UK. She highlighted the extent of the problem with another example: Office 97. Seemingly still widely available, 99 per cent of such sources - she estimated - would be of dubious origin, as Microsoft has long stopped selling that particular version of the Office suite.

Another £100,000 fraud case involved the purchase of 800 copies of an Office suite. To be precise it involved the purchase of 800 invalid end-user licence agreements. "Such copies are worse than worthless," Phillpot told us, "because they leave the end-user legally exposed". The fact that such software may be bought in good faith is not actually any defence.

The best assurance of all, she claimed, is that the vendor is an authorised Microsoft distributor.

To verify the authenticity - within 48 hours - of any Microsoft software, you can visit www.microsoft.com/uk/piracy/productid.htm. There is also a confidential free-phone line (0800 0132222) for reporting issues of piracy with Microsoft software.

Author: Alun Williams