Buzz Out Loud 654

Maximus, a software distributing company based in Taiwan, is responsible for the production of over 90% of all pirated Microsoft technology. Huang Jer-sheng is the owner of Maximus and the mastermind behind this pirate-based company. He was arrested in 2004 and sentenced to four years in prison for the counterfeit software. Considering the fact that the company was responsible for nearly all of Microsoft's pirated software, most would agree that the sentencing was quite lenient.
Unlike downloading software illegally where it would be quite obvious what the consumer was getting him or herself into, these products were virtually indistinguishable from their legitimate counterparts. Every detail of the packaging was reproduced professionally, all the way down to the holographic stickers. Of course, many consumers still know the difference between burned copies and professionally pressed discs. Maximus, however, worked with several illegal CD reproduction plants to make their finished product identical to Microsoft's. Thus, the consumer would have no way of knowing which product is the "real" one.
As stated on Buzz Out Loud, it is good to finally see companies going after the large pirating operations rather than threatening individuals, who may have downloaded a few dollars worth of music. Hopefully, other companies will follow Microsoft's example both for their benefit and ours. After all, Microsoft would have never stopped the production of over 90% of their software by going after random individuals; take note RIAA!