Microsoft sues

Redmond is suing several companies that it alleges misappropriated discounted software meant for students and schools, later reselling the software to U.S. consumers.

The company announced nine lawsuits Monday, two of which have already been settled, against companies that pose as "academic resellers" to get steep discounts on Windows XP and Office 2003. Microsoft sells software to academic institutions at 10 percent to 15 percent of the retail cost, said Bonnie MacNaughton, Microsoft's lead attorney for anti-piracy enforcement in the U.S.

An international network is involved in the fraud, with companies in the Middle East and Eastern Europe obtaining the software under false pretense and then smuggling it into the United States where online retailers undercut legitimate software vendors, she said.

Microsoft is aware of more than 100,000 copies of its software that have been diverted in this manner. The company is not taking action against end users who may have obtained the software, which is labeled "Student Media" and "Not for resale."

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