Microsoft continues campaign to shut down stupid software pirates
Like a bank robber who uses the same get-away car dozens of times, alleged thieves used the same IP address to activate more than 1,000 copies of Windows and Office
Microsoft this week filed another lawsuit in federal court accusing unidentified individuals with stealing its software by illegally activating more than 1,000 copies of Windows 7, Vista and 8, and Office 2010 and 2013.
The suit, filed with a Seattle court on Wednesday, was the latest in a string of cases opened by the Redmond, Wash. company in an effort to quash piracy.
"Microsoft's cyberforensics have identified over one thousand product activations originating from IP address 66.51.73.111 ('the IP Address'), which is presently assigned to Earthlink Inc., and which, on information and belief, is being used by the Defendants in furtherance of the unlawful conduct alleged herein," Microsoft's lawyers wrote in the complaint.
Like many other software vendors, Microsoft uses a product key -- in its case, a 25-character alphanumeric string -- to lock a license to a device. Keys are a core component of Microsoft's anti-piracy technology.
The product keys used to activate the bootleg Windows and Office had been stolen from the company's supply chain, used more times than legal or were activated outside their intended geographic region, Microsoft claimed.
Raed more: http://www.computerworld.com/article...e-pirates.html
loved the Action Pack and Tech Net......was a good cheap way to allow people to play with MS software. I really miss Tech Net and probably if I could would pirate a copy of MDOP that would work for Windows 10, too me that was always the best program.:)
Good on Microsoft as us the genuine ones don't mind paying for it, and why should they get away with it,
My friend brought a second hand laptop from a shop and when we went to update it found that office and windows 7 were not genuine.
Took laptop back to shop and they told him sorry we wont take it back as they said it was no good to them.
So now got trading standards involved and they are taking them to court under the sale of goods act, so he should in time get his money back as found out it was a guy in the shop, who used to own the laptop,
I might be a bit thick but surely every computer you buy has Windows installed and licensed anyway (unless you get a really expensive development version from Dell running Ubuntu or a Mac or something).
Who are there pirates? How did they manage to buy a PC without an OS? Is it even cheaper to buy a PC without an OS?
There questions are rhetorical -I'm not looking to break forum rules or anything I just honestly don't understand how you could end up unlicensed. @hTconeM9user said his friend bought PC with unlicensed Windows 7, presumably it did have a licence at some point. So what did the PC shop do? Throw the license away?
Obviously Office you have to pay extra for, but Windows?
I think it is almost impossible to get a PC without a valid Windows installed.
I have rarely bought a PC with an OS installed, except for laptops - I build my own systems and I have legitimate sources for my OS so why pay twice
Well yes (and actually I use MacBooks so I had to buy Windows licences except for the free one I got through insider program).
Most people buy laptops from the supermarket or whatever and definitely they come with windows installed.
I don't see why these dodgy shops all have cracked Windows 7 Ultimate installed. It is like pointless thieving as when the original purchaser got it it had 7 Home or Pro or whatever and no-one (except us techie people) cares about the version.
Like I said, perhaps I'm thick.
EDIT: You don't have to agree with that last sentence if you don't want to.
What had happened was it did not come with windows 7 on it, and to be able to sell it he used a disc with windows 7 on it that had been used 3-4 times before.
All together 4 laptops sold from that shop all had the 16 figure code on them.
Since this has happened he has been sacked for conning and the shop hopefully will have to make the money good
On bottom of laptop was a sticker with XP on it so the laptop was older than was sold for
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