Software piracy: HC awards Rs 30 lakh damages to software giants Microsoft, Adobe

The Delhi High Court has awarded Rs 30 lakh damages to Microsoft Corporation, Adobe Systems and Quest Software while restraining a company based in the national capital from using or distributing their pirated and unlicensed software.

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has awarded Rs 30 lakh damages to MicrosoftCorporation, Adobe Systems and Quest Software while restraining a company based in the national capital from using or distributing their pirated and unlicensed software. Justice V Kameswar Rao said in the absence of any defence of the Nehru Place’s firm and the magnitude of the violation carried out by the defendants, the three companies are entitled for damages and Rs 30 lakh be equally shared by them.

The high court’s order came on a suit filed by Microsoft Corporation, Adobe Systems and Quest Software against a firm named ‘Chetu’ which provided IT services and solutions to its clients, and related parties, after they came to know that the company was using their unlicensed/pirated software programs on its computers.

The high court restrained «the defendants, their principal officers, directors, agents, franchisees, servants, and all others acting for and on their behalf are restrained from directly or indirectly using for any kind of computer related activities or otherwise, pirated/counterfeit/unlicensed softwares of the Plaintiffs.»

The lawsuit said to determine the sphere of activities of the defendants, they hired an independent investigator to carry out an investigation into their activities.