A German software dealer has been sentenced for five-and-a-half years for repackaging cut-price Microsoft software intended for schools and reselling them as full versions.

The fraud, which saw Ralph Blasek repackage 32,000 units of software, cost Microsoft an estimated €4.5m. Blasek resold the boxes through his dealership, Dino-Soft.

According to Microsoft, Blasek was the "suspected leader of Europe's largest known software counterfeiting network". But Blasek was not counterfeiting software in this case, was he? He was counterfeiting the labelling, passing off licenses sold under discount as full-price versions.

Reuters has more here. ®

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