It's no secret that Windows and Office are two of the most pirated software on the market right now. So Microsoft shows its belligerent attitude by filing lawsuits whenever it manages to track down a company or individual involved in selling or distributing counterfeit copies of its products.
This time Microsoft sued an Arizona-based electronics recycling company, claiming that its employees stole and distributed 70,000 copies of Office 2010 on the black market.
A report by bizjournals states that Microsoft is seeking compensation for the cost of millions of dollars worth of Office licenses from the U.S. District Court for Western Washington.
In the lawsuit, Microsoft states that the company's owners, Danny and Gary Kirkpatrick, were supposed to supervise employees and protect Microsoft's software licenses from theft.
The contract between the two companies (Microsoft and the recycling company that is also the end customer) has been violated, and thus Microsoft claims that the two owners of the company are now responsible for approximately 70,000 licenses ending up on the black market.
A total of 10 employees participated in the theft of property, Microsoft says, but the lawsuit is directed only at the company and its owners.
It is becoming quite clear that Microsoft is not willing to accept software piracy, especially when it comes to such a large-scale software license evasion and is taking legal action against pirates.
Windows is still one of the company's most pirated products, but since Office is quite expensive, the losses stemming from counterfeit copies of the suite are significantly higher.
