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Microsoft Files a Copyright Infringement Lawsuit For Activating Pirated Software

Posted by samzenpus on from the official-copy-only dept.

First time accepted submitter Esra Erimez writes Microsoft has filed a complaint at a federal court in Washington accusing person(s) behind an AT&T subscription of activating various pirated copies of Windows 7 and Office 10. The account was identified by Microsoft's in-house cyberforensics team based on suspicious "activation patterns." Despite being one of the most pirated software vendors in the world, Microsoft doesn't have a long track record of cracking down on individual pirates. From the descriptions used in the complaint it seems likely that the target is not an average user, but someone who sells computers containing pirated software.

11 of 268 comments (clear)

  1. Creators wishing to control their creations... by mi · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Let's have some outrage over creators seeking to, gasp, control their creations — and be paid for their use.

    --
    In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
    1. Re:Creators wishing to control their creations... by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Informative

      Why? If you want to use Software that is not free, you're supposed to pay for it.

      The only thing that really pisses me off is that when they think you had to reinstall your copy a few too many time you become a frequent participant on their Indian call-in show...

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    2. Re:Creators wishing to control their creations... by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It's one thing to pay for a movie if I want to watch it. That's pretty much the way it should be, you create something, you get compensated for me using it.

      It's another thing if I pay for the movie and then have to jump through additional hoops to watch it, and I can only watch it the way the creator wants me to. If I pay for something, I expect to be able to use it. As I please. Not as its creator pleases.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    3. Re:Creators wishing to control their creations... by Just+Some+Guy · · Score: 4, Informative

      Why not? Why should the creator not be able to impose any restrictions they damn please?

      Largely because of the first-sale doctrine, which codifies property rights sanity: if you sell me something, it is now mine, not yours. I can do whatever I want with it. Use my spatula as a screwdriver? Use a thermos bottle for a hammer? Watch scenes in a movie out of order? It's none of your business. I bought it. It is now my property, and I'm free to do with it as I please.

      (Averting pedantry: of course that doesn't involve violating copyright. Straw men will be ignored.)

      --
      Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
  2. Chinese computers come this way by magarity · · Score: 4, Informative

    At any house brand computer store in China the computers come windows installed and activated but no disks. If you insist on an install disk the price for it is, amazingly, the same as buying windows retail. The whole activation system is fundamentally flawed, but the question is, how to make it 1) less of a pain for legit users and 2) harder for pirates? These two goals seem exclusive, alas.

    1. Re:Chinese computers come this way by Opportunist · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The only sensible way I can think of is adding some value to legit copies that is unavailable with the illegal ones. Which is admittedly hard for something like an OS where, say, free lessons or a printed manual aren't such great deal makers and breakers.

      Everything else we've seen in the area of copy protection usually does more to piss off the legit customer than to thwart the illegal copier.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  3. Re:Thanks for the TorrentFreak link... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    TorrentFreak is a news site, and one of the few that actually does journalism on copyright issues without a blatant bias. It is not a pro-piracy site, it does not host any pirated content. I'm not sure what the problem is, other than the word 'torrent' in the url?

  4. They used the wrong windows by johanw · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The windows 7 I installed was pre-activated when I downloaded it from the Pirate Bay. Much easier. I don't know if I could legally downgrade from the windows 8 the system had preinstalled but piracy was so easy that I didn't bother to find out.

  5. Re:Courts should punish intentional facilitation by rogoshen1 · · Score: 4, Funny

    That's what you get for adopting a subversive open source zealot dog. I bet you named him "stallman".

  6. Re:Courts should punish intentional facilitation by Pikoro · · Score: 3, Funny

    I think there's a 25 or 30 port USB hub up in the new Slashdot Deals section

    --
    "Freedom in the USA is not the ability to do what you want. It is the ability to stop others from doing what THEY want"
  7. They say it is "completely anonymous" by Quick+Reply · · Score: 4, Interesting

    When you activate by phone the IVR states:

    "Note: Microsoft Product Activation is completely anonymous; therefore, no personal information is collected. The entire activation process will take about 5 minutes."