A class action lawsuit was filed against Microsoft for the Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) anti-piracy program. A copy of the lawsuit is available here.
The lawsuit alleges that in April 2006, Microsoft did not adequately disclose what the WGA software did once it was installed on computers. For example, Microsoft is alleged to have only disclosed that the program was an “update”. Indeed, the lawsuit alleges that:
* Microsoft provided no information about WGA’s nature and purpose to users who had set their Windows XP system for full automatic updates.
* Microsoft effectively installed the WGA software without providing consumers any opportunity to make an informed choice about that software.
* Microsoft violated California and Washington's anti-spyware laws and consumer protection laws.
Microsoft has responded that the lawsuit is "baseless."
The lawsuit alleges that in April 2006, Microsoft did not adequately disclose what the WGA software did once it was installed on computers. For example, Microsoft is alleged to have only disclosed that the program was an “update”. Indeed, the lawsuit alleges that:
* Microsoft provided no information about WGA’s nature and purpose to users who had set their Windows XP system for full automatic updates.
* Microsoft effectively installed the WGA software without providing consumers any opportunity to make an informed choice about that software.
* Microsoft violated California and Washington's anti-spyware laws and consumer protection laws.
Microsoft has responded that the lawsuit is "baseless."
Sidestepping the question of whether WGA is spyware, the final, salient point of the article:
Regardless of the outcome of this lawsuit, one thing is clear: Consumers must be provided with clear informed consent when software is installed on their computers. Anything less is unacceptable.
Source here. Transcript of lawsuit here.
Edit: Apparently the article has been updated between my original post and now. So that's not the end of the text, since they added a runner.
