Microsoft, the world's leading software supplier, has led an eight-month crackdown on Internet software pirates accused of using illegal software to fund drug-running and terrorism.
Microsoft's Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) division said in a statement it had acted in concert with national law enforcement agencies in a sweep against sites distributing illegally copied software, in some cases unknowingly.
"Microsoft has sought the immediate removal of alleged counterfeit offerings - bringing the total number of web takedowns [removals] to 38,065 in the last eight months," the software giant said.
Since a similar operation ended last August, some five million units of counterfeit Microsoft software and hardware had been seized worldwide, it said, with an estimated retail value of over US$1.7bn.
Under the cloak of anonymity offered by the Internet, international counterfeiters can market and distribute small quantities of software directly to consumers and the funds are used to support global criminal and terrorist gangs.
"The counterfeit software trade is flourishing - and so are the nefarious activities of these criminals, such as drug running and terrorism, that counterfeiting is helping to fund," said Sharon Golec-Keniger, piracy attorney at Microsoft EMEA.
Microsoft said it had been awarded US$17.7m in court settlements since January last year, and the 38,000 removals in the past eight months had brought the total to 79,000 in just two years.
Internet auction sites have been a particular target of the operations.
In November 2000, industry group the Business Software Alliance filed legal proceedings against suspected suppliers of pirated software who were using British auction site QXL to advertise their products.
And this month, Microsoft said it had sent 30 "cease and desist" letters to targets that had sold counterfeit software in Germany on sites including IEZ Auktionen, offerto.de and Ricardo.de.
Target markets among the 22 states in the latest clampdown had included the US, Britain, Germany, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, and Poland, Microsoft said.
