Microsoft has launched another international round of legal actions against organisations it believes are selling counterfeit versions of its software.

The 63 lawsuits include 16 in the US, 12 in Germany, 12 in France and seven in the UK, as well as proceedings in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Japan, Mexico and New Zealand.

"Dishonest auctioneers are too often using these online auction sites to sell counterfeit and illegal copies of Microsoft software, taking advantage of unsuspecting customers around the world," said David Finn, associate general counsel for worldwide anti-piracy and anti-counterfeiting at Microsoft.

"These dealers are peddling bogus products that can put customers and their personal information at serious risk."

In particular Microsoft is going after the sellers of a fictional product called 'Windows Blue Edition'. The product has been sold around the world, but is in fact just a bootleg version of Windows XP.

"By taking legal action against these and other alleged counterfeiters, Microsoft is helping ensure that consumers around the world are protected from those who sell counterfeit software over the internet," said Finn.

"We are also continuing to arm our customers with the information they need to keep from falling victim to counterfeit software. Consumers should be aware that the so-called 'Blue Edition' software is nothing more than low-quality counterfeit software burned onto a CD."