Microsoft names and shames pirate software retailers

by Stevie Smith - Jul 7 2010, 15:46

Keen to put pressure on the pirate community, American software specialist Microsoft Corp. has published a list of high street and online retailers in the UK that are guilty of selling fraudulent copies of Microsoft-branded products.

Microsoft's overt 'name and shame' tactics target 25 different retailers, all of which have owned up to having sold new computer hardware equipped with pirated versions of its hugely popular Windows platform or Office productivity software.

All of the exposed retail outlets – 21 of which are independent computer stores and four of which are eBay sellers – have reached out-of-court financial settlements with Redmond-based Microsoft after falling into the company's legal crosshairs.

“At a time when UK resellers are looking to expand their business post-recession, piracy not only impedes growth, but puts local hard-working computer shops out of business,” commented Michala Wardell, head of anti-piracy at Microsoft UK, in an official statement.

According to Microsoft, the cities of Liverpool and Birmingham are considered “piracy hotspots,” with six of the named retailers located in the former and five in the latter.

The named and shamed outlets across the UK are as follows:

Computer Services Repair (Birmingham)
Marsh Computers High Tech Trading Ltd. (Kent)
B'N'I Computers Ltd. (Birmingham)
Morely Computers (Leeds)
Discovery Computers (Birmingham)
South Liverpool PC Repair (Leeds)
Gemini Computers (Birmingham)
Smithdown Computers (Liverpool)
Bytesize Solutions Ltd. (Birmingham)
TC Links (Liverpool)
Discount Computer Warehouse (Birmingham)
SXC Industries Ltd t/a Stockxchange (Liverpool)
Computer Resale (Chesterfield)
Avesta UK Ltd. (Manchester)
Quest Computers (Gosport)
KBR Computers (Merseyside)
Surf-IT Computers Ltd. (Hampshire)
Jupiter IT (Merseyside)
Exel Computers (Sheffield)
Clarion Computers (Swansea)
MCS Computers (Teeside)
Little Laptop Shop (eBay)
Custom PC Shop (eBay)
Fizz Time a.k.a. Electicbuy (eBay)
Snowdon Computers Ltd. (eBay)

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