Microsoft is suing nine people for selling on discounted
copies of its software.The individuals
are all based in the US and are alleged to have abused the firm’s
Microsoft Action Pack Subscriptions (MAPS) scheme.
The MAPS
initiative is a programme that provides eligible partners with
discounted Microsoft software packages for product evaluation and
internal use.
The MAPS-related
lawsuits, the first Microsoft has filed, allege flagrant and
repeated abuse of the programme. Some of those named in the
lawsuits have allegedly attempted to sell software from their
subscriptions to consumers through online auction sites.
Through its own
monitoring of the MAPS scheme, Microsoft said it became aware of
abuses of the subscription service, including subscribers
falsifying information to receive the programme benefits and
software products multiple times.
The MAPS agreement
stipulates that partners may subscribe to MAPS only once each year,
and that the software may not be resold. It also says the software
must be used only at the partner’s primary business location and
only for business purposes such as application development and
testing.
“Our partners are
negatively affected by the activities of those who compete
unfairly, by either selling illegal software and components, or
abusing agreements that other partners abide by,” said John Ball,
general manager for Microsoft’s US System Builders Partner Group,
which works with businesses that manufacture computers.
“These dishonest
resellers sell products at minimal costs, undercutting the business
of legitimate resellers. Those who operate ethically within the law
take a hard financial hit. We like to see our honest partners
succeed,” he said.
Three other
lawsuits have been filed by Microsoft against companies in Florida,
Ohio and Pennsylvania, for alleged counterfeit software sales.