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The lawsuits, filed in nine US states, claim that the companies distributed counterfeit software or software components or participated in hard-disk loading - the installation of unlicensed software on computers that are then sold to unsuspecting businesses or consumers.

Microsoft said that the lawsuits are part of a broader programme - the Genuine Software Initiative (GSI) - designed to combat counterfeiting and other forms of software piracy.

'We want to make it clear to people who try to profit illegally,' said Microsoft senior attorney Mary Jo Schrade. 'Microsoft is determined to protect its intellectual

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property, while also helping protect consumers and honest resellers from the deceptive and dangerous practices of counterfeiting and hard-disk loading.'

Microsoft has also released results its first large-scale, detailed analysis of counterfeit versions of Windows XP acquired in 17 countries around the world. The findings, the company claims, demonstrates that counterfeit software contains risks for typical users, not just the people who manufacture and sell it.

One in three counterfeit disks acquired in June 2006 could not be installed on a computer while the remaining counterfeit disks included altered code, which, Microsoft said could result in denial-of-service attacks, bypass of password protection and application memory corruption. Around a quarter of the discs also contained added software programs or binaries that had faults, and many included illegally created product keys, other altered code or code invisible to the user.

'Counterfeit software is big business worldwide,' Schrade said. 'As this research highlights, consumers and businesses need to make informed choices when purchasing software or risk the possible consequences of using counterfeit software.'