Microsoft has filed 10 lawsuits against both individuals and companies, alleging that they are pirating software and are selling not-for-resale applications to unsuspecting purchasers.
Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft said the seven lawsuits filed against nine individuals from California, Maryland, New York, Texas, and Virginia were initiated as a result of the breach of an agreement under which the individuals obtained software through the Microsoft Action Pack Subscriptions (MAPS).
The MAPS initiative is a program that provides eligible partners with discounted Microsoft software packages for product evaluation and internal use.
"This is the first occasion where Microsoft has filed MAPS-related lawsuits," Microsoft attorney Matt Lundy said. "Microsoft is determined to protect its legitimate business partners from people who do not respect the rules."
The MAPS lawsuits allege egregious abuse of the MAPS program by individuals who have repeatedly and knowingly broken the terms of the agreement, Microsoft said. "Some of those named in the suits have allegedly attempted to sell software from their subscriptions to consumers through online auction sites," the company said in a statement.
Microsoft also filed three lawsuits against three companies in Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, alleging counterfeit-software abuses. "These companies were involved in our systems builders program," Lundy said.
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