The lawsuits Microsoft is announcing today are against companies that allegedly pirated software or participated in hard-disk loading (installing unlicensed software on computers they sold). One of the lawsuits was filed against a reseller in Georgia who was recently indicted on federal criminal charges. Lawsuits were filed in Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and South Carolina.

The filing of these 26 cases demonstrates another step forward in Microsoft�s robust effort to protect consumers, business partners and its own intellectual property from the pandemic of pirated and counterfeit software in the marketplace. Filing lawsuits against companies selling pirated Microsoft� software is an integral part of the company�s Genuine Software Initiative. The initiative focuses the company�s multiple activities and investments directed at fighting software counterfeiting and other forms of software piracy into a single initiative with increased investments across three strategic areas: education, engineering and enforcement. Within each area, Microsoft is investing in activities that educate and help protect consumers and business partners from counterfeit software and other forms of software piracy.