SHENZHEN - A massive software piracy ring that was selling counterfeit software believed to be worth over $500 million was busted in Shanghai and Shenzen by the Public Security Bureau in China, which acted in collaboration with the FBI.
Software giant Microsoft is also thought to have played a vital role in brining this gang to book. The Redmond-based company estimates that this piracy ring was dealing in software goods worth over $2 billion.
“Customers around the world are turning you in, governments and law enforcement have had enough, and private companies will act decisively to protect intellectual property," said Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith, adding that the case would serve as a wake-up call to piracy rings across the globe.
The anti-piracy operation was code-named "Summer Solstice" and began in 2005. The operation has thus far netted 25 people and has resulted in the seizure of 290,000 pirated software CDs believed to be worth $500 million. Illegal copies of Windows Vista, Office 2007, Office 2003, Windows XP and Windows Server were all among the confiscated products.
All copies were produced in multiple languages including German, English, Dutch, Croatian, Chinese, Korean and Spanish.
Meanwhile in the US authorities arrested 24 people and seized assets worth $700,000. These products were mainly counterfeit CDs and other software. "Law enforcement officials in both countries worked closely by sharing information to jointly investigate multinational crime conspiracies by groups who manufacture and distribute counterfeit products around the world," the FBI said in a statement.
