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Microsoft files piracy suits in two states
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(IDG) -- Microsoft Corp. has filed five separate software piracy lawsuits in Alabama and Mississippi, the company announced Wednesday.
Microsoft's actions include charging distributors in those states with counterfeiting and selling illegal copies and components of Windows 98, Office 97 and other products.
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Three suits claiming copyright and trademark violations were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, Jackson Division. Two additional suits were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, Southern Division, Microsoft said in a statement.
The companies named as defendants in the suits are The Computer Doctor and Eagle Computers, both in McComb, Miss.; DataStar Inc. in Picayune, Miss.; and PCS Computer Services and Quest Computers, both in Mobile, Ala., Microsoft said.
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Specifically, the suits allege that the defendants distributed copies of Microsoft software and software components to customers and investigators that were counterfeit or infringed on Microsoft copyrights, the company said.
Microsoft is asking for $50 million in damages to be paid over a five-year period. Microsoft said it would donate half of the profits to nonprofit organizations that provide technology access to poor communities.
According to Microsoft's statement, one in four companies in the U.S. run pirated software, with Mississippi and Alabama having the highest rates in the country, at 47 percent and 42 percent, respectively.
Most of the suits filed by Microsoft stem from investigations based on tips left on the company's antipiracy hot line, Microsoft said.
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