14 DAY TRIAL // The controversial anti-piracy solution from Microsoft is in the spot light once again. This time as part of the long tradition of American lawsuits that invent justice where there is none, Brian Johnson, a Seattle dweller, is the catalyst for a class-action lawsuit that aims at attracting all those discontent with the Windows Genuine Advantage tool.
The lawsuit is based on the initial WGA license that failed to explicitly inform the user of the way in which the two components of the application were functioning. After WGA Validations verified that the operating system was a genuine copy of Windows, WGA Notifications contacted Microsoft's servers and reported the finds.
The accusations Microsoft faces orbit around the way WGA Notifications was checking in after every boot with Microsoft even from the machines that were running licensed Windows.
The claims against the Redmond company are made under anti-piracy statues and under Washington Consumer Protection Act and California Unfair Competition Law. The damages wanted remain undisclosed as yet, but there is a strong possibility that Microsoft will wish to settle the lawsuit out of court.
Jim Desler, a Microsoft spokesman, referred to the suit as "baseless". "Spyware is deceptive software that is installed on a user's computer without the user's consent and has some malicious purpose," Desler said. "Windows Genuine Advantage is installed with the consent of the user and seeks only to notify the user if a proper license is not in place."