Individuals may fortunately escape the Microsoft lawsuit, but the right to seek legal accountability is reserved by Microsoft. Using the counterfeit Windows is infringing Microsoft’s copyright and trademark. But it will safeguard its legal rights if organizations and companies use the counterfeit Windows in volume. The civil lawsuit is involved with penalties in thousands of dollars whereas the severe criminal lawsuit means felony, with the maximum sentence of 5-year imprisonment and the maximum penalties of 250,000 dollars penalties.Ĭhina, one of the developing countries, lists the punishment for illegal software copy in Intellectual Property Law.Īccording to the history cases of the Microsoft legal department, it seldom take legal action against individual piracy. According to United States Code, those who copy systems and software without authorization may bear civil or criminal liabilities. The punishment criterion of individual piracy is over that of theft, with the maximum sentence of 15-year imprisonment and the maximum penalty of 10 million yen.Īmerica values the intellectual property, too. In Japan, the laws on intellectual property have been well established, with rigorous punishment. It is noticed that using unofficial way to crack Windows activation is intellectual property infringement in all countries and regions. Globally, millions of people are using counterfeit Windows, especially those who live in developing countries with low economic level.
