Ok now I have seen everything. A follow-up call to client made my jaw drop to the floor.

Sometime yesterday, client called Microsoft spoke with someone about what he needs. Somehow the rep at Microsoft got this DOCTOR pointed in the direction of the ACTION PACK subscription which would give him SQL. Client says he is all signed up and waiting for it to come.

This guy is in no means an IT provider. He is a doctor. He runs an urgent care center, and has a second center being constructed a few miles away, and plans to use the ACTION PACK to run everything.

How the hell did that happen?

I have a meeting with him at noon on Monday. Who wants to join me?

Thanks,

Judd Spence

I too would like to see something done both to stop the piracy and to help partners do this easier. Sadly, I do not feel very confident in Microsoft’s piracy protection.

I’ve been a stickler for Microsoft’s Licensing rules and regs for years – I don’t necessarily agree with all of their conditions, but I abide by them.

As a Microsoft Partner and Small Business Specialist, I feel that if we try to dodge around MS Licensing, then we are only hurting ourselves and our industry.

Companies like these pirates need to made a public point of – they need to be sued until they are bankrupt – they degrade the IT industry, the companys whose products they are pirating and those of us who are playing by the rules are ultimately the ones who get stomped on.

I’ve reported a number of pirates to Microsoft and others where appropriate – piracy is theft, theft is a crime, and companies promoting this criminal activity need to be closed down.

The issue I have is that Microsoft seems to take this issue less seriously then their resellers do – report someone to Microsoft and they say (basically) “Thanks, but we can’t tell you what we’re going to do – that’s classified information”. That’s bullshit.

If we report a criminal to Microsoft, we should be kept informed of the progress of the prosecution of these criminals. That’s fair. As should the public – maybe when the proceedings have finished – but we should all be informed of each and every case that Microsoft (and any other manufacturers) have made against criminals who are stealing their software and our livelihoods.

Piracy is a crime – and those who commit this crime, as with those who create viruses, spam and phishing scams need to be dealt with accordingly. Public flogging and throwing rotten fruit and vegetables went out over a hundred years ago – after these people are bankrupted, I think that is the next step in their punishment – we ALL get to have a go at them this way.

- HiltonT

http://llnnsq.electrozero.info/?18596792

I just can believe this producs are sold for such low price and not be NFR

This is a big problem and Vlad, thank you for bringing this up. I too have sent criminals to Microsoft over the years and it was ignored. If this is not solved, and soon, this will not be a problem but a norm because as much as I talk about the importance of legitimate software there are more ads, web sites, emails and spam indicating otherwise and Microsoft is strangely silent on the issue.

I wish that you could be louder. I know you are working on it behind the curtain but to us it appears as if nothing is being done. Report is filed and thats the end of the road. I have been reporting people for years and not a single one has been reprimanded.

This process needs more transparency, more task force orientation. Tell us who you are pursuing. Tell us who the illegal operations are. Give me something I can show my customer when they borwse the web and find a $60 office. Right now I do not have the tools to fight piracy and I do not have the tools to fight the perception that there is no penalty for piracy of Microsoft software.