Best Buy 'Geek Squad' Accused of Pirating Software

Alien54 writes "Texas software company Winternals Software LP has sued Best Buy Co. Inc. in federal court, alleging that the nation's largest consumer electronics retailer was using unlicensed versions of its diagnostic equipment. Best Buy's Geek Squad, is alleged to be using pirated versions of the software since talks on a commercial licensing agreement broke off. A restraining order has been granted."

Comments

Re:Geek Squad my ass

[DenDude]

/* I knew the Geek Squad was a fake the first time I saw a commercial... There was a girl. That was all I needed. */

It was only a definite fake if the girl was hot. That would be the true "tell".

Re:Bust Buy creates business for others

[Anonymous Coward]

It's been this way for 10 years now, since Windows 95 came out. Before then, to be a PC tech, you actually had to know something (IRQs or CONFIG.SYS commands, etc). Now days it's largely a button-pushing exercise with magic solutions produced by running one utility or another (defrag. regcleaner, antispyware, etc). It's astonshing how little technicians know about the inner workings of Windows NT, routinely recommending reinstalls for totally fixable problems after their magic utilities fail. Anyway, it's essentially become a bugger-flipping job and the pay is in line with that.

Re:Bust Buy creates business for others

[Senzei]

I would say that at that poin, the user is. If they want to keep the software they can either: 1)Go home and find the docs, 2)Buy a new copy, or 3)Suffer through their problem with the pc. My job is to fix your broken computer, not accomodate your bookeeping incompetence, especially if it involves piracy to do so.

Then again that might be a reason why I don't fix home pcs.