IT firm used pirate MS programs

A Shanghai IT company was ordered to pay 400,000 yuan (US$58,500) to Microsoft for using pirated software, the Shanghai No. 2 Intermediate People's Court ruled yesterday.

Shanghai Dare Global Information Industry Co Ltd, a maker of set-top boxes, was found using the pirate copies during a spot check by the city's copyright administration.

The pirated programs included Windows XP Professional, Office Professional Edition 2003, Visual Studio 6.0 and Windows 2000 Advanced Server.

The verdict was one of three announced ahead of the ninth World Intellectual Property Day on Sunday.

A supermarket was ordered to pay 35,000 yuan to the German owners of the "Puma" trademark. The Yangpu District supermarket was found to be selling sports shoes with a logo similar to Puma's in September 2007.

In the third case, Shanghai Yinggui Rosewood Furniture Co Ltd was ordered to pay 140,000 yuan to Shanghai Qiansi Decoration Industrial Co Ltd. Qiansi had authorized Yinggui to use its name to open a branch in the city's Chongming Island in October 2005, but when the branch shut last June Qiansi was left with its 140,000 yuan debt.