In response to stories about the 15-month jail sentence given to Eric Lundgren, Microsoft has written a strident blog post detailing its perspective on the case. The post, titled “The facts about a recent counterfeiting case brought by the U.S. government,” consists of several assertions drawn from the case itself, the email evidence that was submitted for it, and Microsoft’s own take.
Microsoft’s corporate vice president of communication, Frank Shaw, begins by once again asserting Microsoft’s support for refurbishing and recycling. But the main thrust of the post is to re-assert the findings of the court. After noting that it was the US government — not Microsoft — that brought the case, Shaw notes that Lundgren pleaded guilty. He also argues that Lundgren’s emails contain strong evidence that he did, in fact, intend to profit from counterfeiting Windows.
Included in the post are multiple emails detailing how Lundgren wasn’t just providing software disks, but going to “great lengths” to make those disks look like they were made by Microsoft or Dell.
Earlier today, we published an interview with Lundgren, detailing his side of the story. Although he pleaded guilty, he puts blame directly at Microsoft for his jail time. He feels that this is more about protecting profits made from selling Windows to refurbishers than concerns about counterfeiting or piracy.
Microsoft obviously disagrees. Shaw concludes this post thusly:
Mr. Lundgren’s scheme was simple. He was counterfeiting Windows software in China and…
