Seven of the suits targeted nine people over their supposed
breach of a software agreement relating to Microsoft’s MAPS
(Microsoft Action Pack Subscriptions) Initiative – a programme that
provides eligible partners with discounted Microsoft software
packages for product evaluation and internal use.
It is the first time the company has targeted members of the
programme.
The MAPS software agreement stipulates that partners may
subscribe to the MAPS program only once each year, that the
software may not be resold, and that the software must be used only
at the partner’s primary business location and only for business
purposes such as application development and testing.
Microsoft says the people named in the law suit allegedly tried
to sell the software through auction sites.
Microsoft says its investigations also revealed that some
subscribers were falsifying information to receive the programme
benefits and software titles multiple times.
“Our honest partners have asked us to intervene to help protect
those who abide by laws and rules governing software use and
distribution,” said Mary Jo Schrade, senior attorney at Microsoft.
“The lawsuits announced today are a necessary step to help ensure
that those who knowingly and repeatedly violate known and widely
accepted standards will not be given free rein to do so.”
The remaining three lawsuits, filed by Microsoft against
companies in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania, allege counterfeit
software abuses. They are the result of consumer complaints, which
led Microsoft to investigate the defendant companies.
The software giant bought software from each of the three firms,
tested the authenticity of the software and discovered that they
were counterfeit, it says.
