Windows XP may be close to the end of its official life, as far as Microsoft"s support for the operating system is concerned. But for one man, his alleged practice of selling a counterfeit version of the old Windows OS will likely see him spend a lot of his life inside a prison cell.
Computerworld.com reports that Bruce Alan Edward, 48, of Atlanta, Michigan, was arraigned on Thursday in federal court. He has been charged with selling counterfeit copies of both Windows XP Professional and Office 2003 Professional via eBay.
The report claims that Edward sold a total of 2,500 copies of the software products between May 2008 and September 2010. Normally, the total amount that Microsoft would have taken in from the legitimate sales of the software would have been over $1.2 million. Edward received $140,000 for selling the unauthorized Microsoft software.
Now, Edward is facing five counts of criminal copyright infringement and one count of mail fraud for his alleged actions. If the court system finds him guilty on all the charges, he could face up to 45 years in jail, along with $1.5 million in fines. There"s no word on when or if this case might go to trial.
Source: Computerworld.com
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