Short Take: Microsoft files lawsuits against computer resellers

announced that it filed lawsuits in late August against three Southern California companies for copyright and trademark infringement, alleging unlicensed software installation and distribution of counterfeit products. The lawsuits represent the first in a new "continuous sweeps" program that Microsoft has launched in several key North American regions aimed at stopping the practice known as "hard-disk loading," the installation of pirated software on computers that are in turn sold to customers.