Microsoft sues UK retailer Comet for selling over 94k counterfeit Windows CDs
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Re: Microsoft sues UK retailer Comet for selling over 94k counterfeit Windows CDs
#2It staggers me that a reputable high-street company like Comet would do this. I'd love to know what on earth they were thinking!
Re: Microsoft sues UK retailer Comet for selling over 94k counterfeit Windows CDs
#3Comet is largely insolvent and has recently been sold for a token £2 to a "retail turnaround" outfit called OpCapita: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/business/business-news/kesa_s...
You expect this sort of thing if you go to the Bowlers computer fair, but not at Comet!
Re: Microsoft sues UK retailer Comet for selling over 94k counterfeit Windows CDs
#4I could understand if their supplier had "tricked" them, but they willingly produced and sold the counterfeit copies themselves? No wonder they're falling apart.
Re: Microsoft sues UK retailer Comet for selling over 94k counterfeit Windows CDs
#5Comet are a shady bunch... they're well known over here for selling extended warranties that they refuse to honor. I've been stung by it myself but stupidly didn't do the research until it was too late.
Re: Microsoft sues UK retailer Comet for selling over 94k counterfeit Windows CDs
#6Unfortunately this seems to be common in the UK. If you go to http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk they do the same thing. When you add a laptop to your basket they add a “Restore and Recovery Disk” to your order for £15 (~$24) even though laptops come with this CD sealed in the box or you can create it from an image file on the laptop. When I questioned them via telephone they quickly backed off and took it off the order.
Re: Microsoft sues UK retailer Comet for selling over 94k counterfeit Windows CDs
#7Comet has issued a response to the lawsuit:
“Comet has sought and received legal advice from leading counsel to support its view that the production of recovery discs did not infringe Microsoft’s intellectual property.
“Comet firmly believes that it acted in the very best interests of its customers. It believes its customers had been adversely affected by the decision to stop supplying recovery discs with each new Microsoft Operating System based computer. Accordingly Comet is satisfied that it has a good defence to the claim and will defend its position vigorously.”
I have updated the article to reflect this.
Re: Microsoft sues UK retailer Comet for selling over 94k counterfeit Windows CDs
#8Comet is largely insolvent and has recently been sold for a token £2 to a "retail turnaround" outfit called OpCapita: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/business/business-news/kesa_s... You expect this sort of thing if you go to the Bowlers computer fair, but not at Comet!
Oh man I used to go that fair when I was young with my dad, buying the latest upgrades for my computer so i can play the latest games. There was a lot of pirating as you say. I haven't really been for 10 years, since everything's online now and i'm not really into hardware anymore. Memories.
Re: Microsoft sues UK retailer Comet for selling over 94k counterfeit Windows CDs
#9Comet are a shady bunch... they're well known over here for selling extended warranties that they refuse to honor. I've been stung by it myself but stupidly didn't do the research until it was too late.
Sorry to say it, but if you buy an extended warranty on anything you're wasting your money. The whole 'extended warranty' business is how retailers make their money, but are a complete scam. Hardly anything goes wrong these days, and the price of the extended warranty is far far higher than the risk of it going wrong.
Re: Microsoft sues UK retailer Comet for selling over 94k counterfeit Windows CDs
#10Comet is largely insolvent and has recently been sold for a token £2 to a "retail turnaround" outfit called OpCapita: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/business/business-news/kesa_s... You expect this sort of thing if you go to the Bowlers computer fair, but not at Comet!
I don't think the sale has completed yet, I wonder if this will make the new buyers think that £2 might be a bit much after all..