Feds, goons nab $2 billion Chinese software pirate syndicate

A JOINT INVESTIGATION by the FBI and the Chinese scary Public Security Bureau (PSB) has resulted in the organisations feeling the collars of crooks responsible for making and distributing $2 billion worth of fake Microsoft software.

The raids were prompted by Microsoft providing information to the FBI in Los Angeles with investigators tracing a number of factories that were making dodgy CDs.

The dodgy software had spread to 27 countries and included OSes and app software in eight languages including English, Chinese, Croatian, Dutch, Korean, German and Italian.

Over 55,000 "sophisticated quality" copies were traced back to what's alleged to be a southern Chinese criminal syndicate based in Guangdong. The Vole estimates that over a million copies of the duff software have been distributed worldwide.

The case has yet to come to court. µ

See Also
The INQ goes on the trail of Chinese pirates
Software piracy in Asia Part I
Software piracy in Asia Part II
Software piracy in Asia Part III