Microsoft asks users to return suspect CDs

Microsoft will today launch a scheme aimed at alerting users to the pitfalls of buying counterfeit software.

From Monday, any customer who suspects they may be in possession of illegal Microsoft software can send a copy of that software to Microsoft's Product Identification Team. The team will then determine whether the product is legal or not and notify the sender within two working days.

The team will look at all types of suspect product, other than CD-R copies or compilation CDs, over which there can be little or no doubt as to their legitimacy, said Microsoft.

The service is free of charge, and in some cases Microsoft said customers will receive one copy of genuine software if the software they sent in is counterfeit.

Julia Phillpot, Microsoft anti-piracy manager, said that if customers send in the suspected illegal software, a signed witness statement, which is available on Microsoft's website, and the original supplier invoice or receipt, they will be eligible for a product replacement, if the product was purchased in the last six months.

However, she said the replacement will be at Microsoft's discretion and will be limited to one copy per user or organisation, irrespective of how much illegal software has been supplied.

"We will keep the illegal software to help us gather information on dishonest traders. In some cases we will send cease and desist letters to the traders involved, or we may pass the information on to the police," she said.

"We will give the customers an official letter stating that the products they purchased were illegal so that they can take it to the trading standards office to try to obtain a refund."

Phillpot said that Microsoft's German office had set up a similar system a year ago, and 90 per cent of the software received was illegal in some way.

She said the German office had had around 800 to 1000 submissions of suspected illegal software in the last twelve months.

"According to figures from the Business Software Alliance, last year 26 per cent of all software installed in the UK was illegal in some way. This costs business around £450m a year - and these are very conservative estimates."

"The main issue is with counterfeit software. It used to be the case that very bad copies of software would be sold very cheaply. Now the copies are very good and are sold for street price."