Insurance company in China to pay $318K for software piracy

A first for MicrosoftA court in Shanghai has handed down a guilty verdict against the Dazhong Insurance company for using pirated copies of Microsoft software. The company was told to pay $318,000 in damages.It is the first time that Microsoft has brought a successful legal action against a Chinese company for copyright infringement.Story here.Although the billions Microsoft loses to software pirates each year is bad enough, it’s believed that pirated software can be a serious malcode vector as well. A 2006 study by marketing intelligence firm IDC found that 25 percent of counterfeit software tried to install malcode when it was downloaded.Media Surveillance, a German anti-piracy firm, said last year that one of its studies found 32 percent of pirated copies of Windows and hacks contained malcode.Last year Microsoft launched an anti-piracy campaign that included educational initiatives and enforcement actions in over 70 countries to raise awareness of counterfeit software and to protect consumers.Story here. Tom KelchnerUpdate:According to English language People’s Daily Online, a news outlet of the Chinese Communist Party:“Evidence used in court showed that Dazhong Insurance used at least 450 copies of pirated software and violated (continue reading...)