Microsoft sued for “extortion-like” practices in recent anti-piracy raid Read m

Started by certforumz, December 21, 2015, 03:16:04 PM

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Microsoft has recently come under legal fire with their recent anti-piracy raids, wherein the software giant was sued for their "extortion-like" handling of a recent raid on a Guatemalan insurance agency.

Seguros Universales, one of the largest insurance firms in Guatemala, is suing Microsoft for their unprofessional handling of an apparent unwarranted anti-piracy raid. With the help of the Business Software Alliance and local authorities, Microsoft allegedly demanded a payment of $70,000 USD from the insurance agency or else their entire computer database would be confiscated.

Anti-piracy "raids" of this nature are quite common as Microsoft and the Business Software Alliance (BSA) ardently stand against software piracy, and actively contribute to thwarting the use and distribution of illegal software across the globe.

Although their cause is justifiable, the overall raiding process has been scrutinized by various courts, and Microsoft has lost a similar case due to the "deceptive nature" of the raiding process.

On these anti-piracy raids, the companies are usually aided by BSA officials as well as local law enforcement–and some of them are reportedly armed. Once the officials arrive at the offices of the alleged software pirates, the accused companies are often given the choice between paying a fine or having their computers taken away.

The Guatemalan firm experienced such an event, and is suing the software giant for their apparent "extortion-like practices during the raid:

"Microsoft appeared with armed Guatemalan law enforcement officers and halted plaintiffs' business operations. Microsoft then proceeded to extort Plaintiffs by demanding an on-the-spot agreement to pay $70,000 or Microsoft would remove all servers containing ALL data and operational software."

Seguros Universales counters Microsoft's claim, saying that the raid was "unwarranted" and that it has receipts for over 98% of the software licensing fees–directly challenging the company's accusation with physical proof. The Guatemalan insurance firm doesn't stop there, however; they also accuse the software giant of a racketeering scheme that targets companies in the country that use Microsoft's software.

Read more: http://vr-zone.com/articles/microsoft-sued-for-extortion-like-practices-in-recent-anti-piracy-raid/39856.html#ixzz3uzL7kC5B

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