HC orders Mumbai firm to pay Rs. 2 lakh to Microsoft

A Mumbai-based firm has to pay Rs. 2 lakh as penalty to Microsoft for selling unlicensed versions of the company’s software, like Windows 7, Windows Vista and MS Office loaded onto computers. The Delhi High Court has imposed this fine on the firm for breaching the intellectual property rights of the software giant and asked it to stop selling such computers. On accepting Microsoft Corporation’s plea, judge Manmohan Singh has granted permanent injunction to M/s Gizgahertz and its proprietor Nimesh from using Microsoft hard-disk in computers and selling them to customers, reports Business Standard. “T_he defendant (company) is restrained from copying/ reproducing, hard-disk loading on computers, selling/ offering for sale/ distributing/ issuing to the public pirated/ counterfeit/ unlicensed versions of Windows Vista, Microsoft Office 2007 or any other software of the plaintiffs in any manner, so as to infringe the plaintiff’s copyright,_” Singh said.

Mumbai firm fined….

Microsoft had filed a suit asking the Mumbai firm to stop selling computers that are loaded with these unlicensed versions of software like Windows 7, Windows Vista and MS Office. Microsoft claimed infringement of its copyrights and intellectual property rights, as the company sold Microsoft branded products without authorization from the company. This can be taken as a warning by others following such malpractices.

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