IT retailer coughs up for selling counterfeit software

A Suffolk-based retailer has agreed to pay Microsoft an undisclosed sum in compensation after the company unwittingly purchased and sold on counterfeit copies of Microsoft software.

Greengage Computer Products inadvertently purchased illegal versions of Microsoft Office 97 and Microsoft Office 2000 in 1999.

Russell Simpson, joint owner of Greengage Computer Products, took advantage of what he thought was a genuine cut-price software offer he'd received by fax.

Simpson asked the supplier for product samples. The apparent quality of the Certificates of Authenticity and licences supplied suggested that these were genuine Microsoft products.

When Simpson enquired further, the bogus supplier advised him that they were competitively priced because they originated outside Europe - sourced via the so-called 'grey market'. Greengage was unaware at the time that the sale of such parallel imported software is illegal.

Simpson said in a statement released today by Microsoft: "To me, it was indistinguishable from the genuine product. The licences looked exactly the same as those you receive with a genuine shrink wrapped, boxed retail software package."

He added: "If a product lands on your desk from whatever source and you see a price that appears to be too good to be true, it probably is!"

Caroline Smith, UK Channel Anti-Piracy Manager at Microsoft, said: "Microsoft recommends that you buy your software from an authorised source or buy products that you know originated from someone licensed by Microsoft to distribute its products in Europe."

A list of the Authorised European Microsoft Distributors based in the UK can be found on http://www.microsoft.com/uk/partners/sol_and_products/where_buy/

Information on how to spot pirated software is also available on http://www.howtotell.com/uk .