Bonum Certa Men Certa

Man Bites Dog and Microsoft Fights 'Piracy'

Castro - Battle of Actium



Summary: Microsoft is attacking sellers of Windows in the UAE, the United States, and Australia

IN China, the real 'pirates' are Microsoft [1, 2, 3, 4], so it's always interesting when Microsoft claims to fight so-called 'piracy' (counterfeiting), which Microsoft also admits benefiting from.



“They’ll get sort of addicted, and then we’ll somehow figure out how to collect sometime in the next decade.”

--Bill Gates



Over in the Middle East, Microsoft has decided that it's time to "collect". It's not the first time this year that Microsoft does it in the Middle East, but the example from last week's news says that "Microsoft intensifies action against sale of illegal software" [in the Middle East specifically]. Here is the latest news from UAE, where Microsoft uses MOUs and actions against shops that don't pay Microsoft:

Authorities in the UAE have conducted three more raids against resellers accused of selling pirated software.

[..]

The raids were part of an ongoing campaign against software piracy in the region, led by Microsoft, which works closely with governments, industry partners and educational organisations on IPR enforcement.


This article almost conceals the role played by Microsoft. It tends to hide itself behind fronts like the BSA (an equivalent of MPAA/RIAA for companies like Sony) and it uses armed policemen and state authority to assist its business strategy and make the billionaires from Washington even richer. A critical analysis of this ought to lead to a reform. Many of those sellers are just doing what other sellers have been doing for decades and Microsoft never had a problem with their practices, as long as they ensured that all computer users in the UAE (even those who are unable to afford the software) used Windows.

Microsoft behaves in this ruthless manner also in the United States. Last week we found a lot of coverage about QuickTEQ Computers:

National software giant Microsoft is suing a Lincoln company, QuickTEQ Computers, alleging that it has been selling reproductions, copies or imitations of Microsoft's copyrighted materials.


There is more in [1, 2, 3, 4] and in AP [1, 2].

Microsoft Corp. says a Nebraska computer store has been infringing on its copyrights for Windows software.


Quoted for the wording. From Omaha:

Microsoft says in the lawsuit that it sent a letter to QuickTeq in March 2009 warning the company that it was infringing on Microsoft’s copyrights.


At least it says "copyright infringements" and not "piracy" or "theft". It would be nice if Microsoft was accused of endorsing copyright infringements when it better suited its goals. Microsoft's Windows profits decline over the years, so Microsoft is killing the goose and starts "collecting" (to use Gates' word).

There is another new case in Australia:

AN Australian eBay trader who admitted to selling Microsoft software illegally has paid $125,000 in compensation to the computer giant.


Well, usually Microsoft turns a blind eye, satisfied that someone who is unwilling to buy Windows is at least using it. But not anymore. Microsoft is having a hard time.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Brett Wilson LLP "Takes it Personal" (Character Assassination, Not Professionalism). Everybody Can See That.
On behalf of violent men
Pissing Contests and Pissing Off Everyone
people who came from Microsoft are trying to vex and divide the community
Microsoft Repeats the Mistakes Made by the EPO After We Exposed a Major Microsoft/EPO Scandal 10 Years Ago
That scandal was all over the media, not just in English
Turns Out LLMs for Code Don't Save Time and Don't Improve Quality
Neither legal nor useful
 
People Who Assault Women Are Not Victims of "Distress"
It seems like an American tradition. In a country with almost 50 presidents, not even one was a female.
copyleft.org 'Hijacked' by the People Who Attack the Person Who Created Copyleft
So far there's nothing "tasteless" in copyleft.org, but that can change at any time in the future
Asking People to Take Down Articles and Videos Only Makes These More Popular and "Viral"
If you do something bad, one of the worst things you can possibly do it try to silence those who speak about it
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, July 13, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, July 13, 2025
Two-Thirds Towards FSF Goal, Richard Stallman to Give Talks in Europe
There are 67 left before reaching the target
Gemini Links 14/07/2025: Politicised Tech and "Leaving GitHub"
Links for the day
The Demise of LLMs
We've just checked BetaNews again. They've dropped all the slop and went back to human authors.
Gemini Links 13/07/2025: Sonpo Museum of Art and FCEUX
Links for the day
Links 13/07/2025: UnitedHealth's Censorship Campaign, Australia Wary of China
Links for the day
Firing Away With Nonsense
Or fighting fire with fire
Links 13/07/2025: Climate Crisis, GAFAM Poisoning the Water
Links for the day
The Microsofters Will Have an Obligation to Compensate Us
This story isn't just about Microsoft. It's also about corruption, there are many women victims, there is abject "abuse of process", and many more scandals to be illuminated in years to come.
Reproducing at the EPO Instead of Producing Monopolies for Foreign Monopolies With Their Price-Fixing Cartels
Does the EPO recognise the need of well-educated Europeans to bear kids?
Valnet Inc. Dominates Real (Not LLM Slop) GNU/Linux Coverage in 2025
And likely in prior years, too
Free Software Foundation (FSF) Fund Raiser Goes on
Later this month we'll expose another OSI scandal
EPO Staff Representatives Issue a Warning About Staff's Health and Inadequate Care
Even the EPO's own stakeholders (money sources) are openly protesting against what the EPO became
Links 13/07/2025: Partly Assorted News From Deutsche Welle and CBC
Links for the day
Gemini Links 13/07/2025: Board Games and Battle Styles
Gemini Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, July 12, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, July 12, 2025
Plunder at the Second-Largest Institution in Europe
cuts, neglect, health problems, even early deaths
Links 12/07/2025: Political Developments, Attack on Opposition, Climate Actions
Links for the day
Gemini Links 12/07/2025: Melodic Musings and Small Web July
Links for the day
Links 12/07/2025: Jail in China for Homoerotica, South Korea Discriminates Against Old Workers
Links for the day
If Only Everything Was Rewritten in Rust, We'd Have No More Security Issues?
Nope.
Links 12/07/2025: Birdwatching and Fake/Misleading Wall Street 'Valuation' Figures
Links for the day
Gemini Links 12/07/2025: How to Avoid Writing, Apps for Android
Links for the day
Using SLAPPs to Cover Up Sexual Abuse and Strangulation
The exact same legal team of the Serial Strangler from Microsoft and Garrett already has a history fighting against "metoo"
EPO Staff Committee on Harassment in the Workplace
slides
Adding the Voice of Writers to UK SLAPP Reform
The journey to repair antiquated (monarchy era) laws will likely be long
EPO Takes More Money From Staff for Speculation (Pensions), Actuarial Study Explains the Impact
"The key change in this year’s Actuarial Study, due to cascading the new “risk appetite” from the financial study, is a significant increase of the total pension contribution rate of 5.7 percentage points, up to a total of 37.8%. This is driven by an unprecedented decrease in the discount rate of 105 bps down to 2.2%."
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, July 11, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, July 11, 2025