eBay Targets Fake Microsoft Software Auctions - 2,194 Views, 1 Comment
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Auction giant eBay has taken a stand against the thousands (yes, thousands) of auctions involving pirated copies of Microsoft software which regularly appear on its pages. According to reports, in just a three month period, and on just eBay’s UK site alone, more than 21,000 auctions were identified as offering illegal copies of Microsoft products. The most common auctions of pirated Microsoft software involved Windows XP and Office. Well, they do say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but I don’t think that extends to wholesale counterfeiting. According to a Microsoft spokesperson, in the vast majority of the cases the seller is well aware that they are selling illegal goods. Sometimes the software is on a plain CD rom, clearly burned by someone. In other cases the product is a genuine commercial version, but has “not for resale” clearly indicated - even on the picture used in the eBay auction. But that is only half of the equation. Sellers wouldn’t sell if buyers didn’t buy. And while some times the buyer may not realize that they are buying a pirated product, often times they do. So don’t do it.
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eBay Targets Fake Microsoft Software Auctions
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Previous Article « Microsoft Issues Critical Security Update for Internet Explorer
Read Next Article » Tivo Blamed for Massive Increase in Product Placement in Television Shows
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For additional similar stories check out our archives on Pirates, Windows, eBay
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I was burned last month on a Microsoft Windows XP Pro SP3 auction on ebay. The software ran fine,but wouldn’t validate.The good thing about it is ebay refunded me in full.And I learned a lesson,if the deal sounds too good to be true,it usually is.
Comment by Charles Tilley — 8/26/2009 @ 6:12 pm