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Ouch! Microsoft sues recycling firm over 70K stolen Office licenses

Should have been pulped. Weren’t

They were supposed to be destroyed, but up to 10 workers at an Arizona computer recycling firm instead sold 70,000 copies of Office 2010 on the black market.

Now Microsoft is suing their employer, Global Electronics Recycling, for restitution in full.

In a lawsuit, filed last week in the U.S. District Court of Western Washington, Microsoft say owners Danny and Gary Kirkpatrick are liable for copyright damages as they “acted at a minimum, with willful blindness to” Microsoft’s rights”.

That alleged lack of oversight in the disposal contract with Microsoft could cost Global Electronics Recycling millions of dollars.

And what about this software license “black market”? Will Microsoft go after the buyers too? ®

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