Microsoft names and shames resellers
Microsoft (MSFT) has revealed the names of 10 resellers who have admitted to dealing in illegal software over the last six months. The 10 – which the software giant says were guilty of ‘Hard Disk Loading’ – have all reached settlements with Microsoft. They are: Selectweb in Lancashire, Computer Trading in West Sussex, Tech Computers in the West Midlands, PC Academy and Impact Computers in Preston, Call -Tech Support (CTS) in Bolton, PC Practitioners in Derbyshire, MSB Computers in Blackburn, Multi Tech Systems and Ossett PC Centre in West Yorkshire.
Says Luis Gomes from Ossett PC Centre: “After being contacted by Microsoft, we realised we needed to change the way in which we operated. We pride ourselves in our customer service and understand that on this occasion we let our standards drop. We are now working more closely with Microsoft to ensure that our business doesn’t add to the hugely damaging effects of software piracy.”
Says Michala Wardell, head of anti-piracy at Microsoft: “If you speak to most small computer shops they’ll tell you that piracy is having a clear impact on their business. The damage rogue traders inflict on the channel by selling pirated software is huge. However, by proactively speaking to businesses and advising them about the dangers of using illegal software, resellers can position themselves as trusted advisors and take back some of the money that previously would have been lost to pirates.”
At a recent Microsoft roundtable, Michala Wardell said that around 14 percent of new PCs shipped with Windows in the UK are running a pirated copy of the operating system, with even a higher number of 29 percent for Microsoft Office. She also revealed that during a one month period in August this year there were more than 16,000 illegal copies of Microsoft Office and 20,000 copies of Windows downloaded online.
