Microsoft in the dock over hardware specifications

According to a PCW report, the lawsuit claims that Microsoft deliberately launched a campaign to stop people delaying the purchase of new computers by certifying them as \'Vista Capable\' when they were only able to run Vista Home Basic. \'This consumer class action arises from Microsoft\'s deceptive and unfair conduct in marketing and selling its new operating system, which it calls Vista,\' said the court filing. In 2006, Microsoft began to employ marketing measures designed to avoid a drop in sales of computers incorporating Microsoft\'s Windows XP operating system. Microsoft thus authorised OEMs to place a sticker on PCs indicating that the PCs had been certified as \'Microsoft Vista Capable\', meaning that the consumer could upgrade to Vista once it had been released. The suit points out that Vista Home Basic cannot run the main applications that make Vista so advanced, such as the Aero user interface, and that other features like Internet Explorer 7 are available for Windows XP anyway. Full PCW report

Microsoft has filed five new lawsuits against US companies and individuals it claims sold deeply discounted Windows and Office software intended for students. AustralianIT reports that the company filed the suits in US Federal Courts in California, Nevada and Florida, alleging the parties infringed on Microsoft\'s copyright by importing and distributing versions of Windows and Office that were not meant to be sold through the retail channel. \'The defendants in these lawsuits and others are charged with profiting from selling clearly marked educational software to unsuspecting retail customers who were not licensed to use it,\' said Bonnie MacNaughton, senior attorney at Microsoft. \'We\'re not selling counterfeit or stolen software,\' said Mike Mak, owner of Intrax, which is based in California. \'We bought software from legitimate sources in the US.\' Mak said his company sold the discounted \'Student Media\' software, but stopped after Intrax learned of the lawsuit. Full AustralianIT report