An unnamed software dealer in Germany has been sentenced to three years in prison for selling unlicensed Microsoft products.

The 42-year-old Turkish man was arrested in June 2006 and has been held in custody since.

He was last week sentenced to two years and eleven months by a German court in Bochum. He was described in court as a "clever offender" who had sold 18,555 pirated products.

More from IDG here.

Microsoft also announced a more hands-on strategy to enforce compliance by mid-sized companies - those with around 250 PCs. Companies that get flagged up for inconsistencies in their licenses will be contacted by phone or email by Microsoft.

If businesses refuse the offer of a Microsoft audit of their software, they will receive three escalation letters. The last two will warn that the case may be handed over to the Business Software Alliance, which may take legal action.

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