Microsoft Corp. v. Buy More, Inc.

136 F. Supp. 3d 1148, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 129566, 2015 WL 5680308
CourtDistrict Court, C.D. California
DecidedSeptember 24, 2015
DocketCase No. 14-cv-9697 R (PLAx)
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 136 F. Supp. 3d 1148 (Microsoft Corp. v. Buy More, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, C.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Microsoft Corp. v. Buy More, Inc., 136 F. Supp. 3d 1148, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 129566, 2015 WL 5680308 (C.D. Cal. 2015).

Opinion

UNCONTROVERTED FINDINGS OF .FACTS AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW -.AND ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFF MICROSOFT CORPORATION’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT AGAINST DEFENDANTS BUY MORE,' INC.; MOJDEH ALAM A/K/A ' MOJI ALAM; LAPTOP OUTLET CENTER INC., MARYAM SAJJAD; VEHID ABDULLAHI A/K/A VICTOR ALLENI AND ABDULLAHI VEHID; AND SHAHRAM SHIRAZI A/K/A SHAWN SHIRAZ

HONORABLE MANÜEL L. REAL, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Plaintiff Microsoft Corporation’s Motion for Summary Judgment came on for hearing on September 8, 2015, before the Honorable Manuel L. Real, presiding in Department 8 of the United States District Court for the Central District of California. All appearances are as reflected in the record.

The Court, having considered all papers filed in support of and in opposition to the Motion, all admissible evidence filed in support of and in opposition to the Motion, and the argument of counsel; IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the Motion is Granted and that Judgment be entered against Defendants Buy More, Inc., Mo-jdeh Alam a/k/a Moji Alam, Laptop Outlet Center, Inc., Maryam Sajjad, Vehid Ab-dullahi a/k/a Victor Alleni a/k/a Abdullahi Vehid, and Shahram Shirazi a/k/a Shawn Shiraz’s (collectively, “Defendants”) as set forth below.

The Court’s ruling granting Plaintiffs Motion for Summary Judgment is based on the uncontroverted findings of facts and conclusions- of law set forth below, and as stated on the record at the September 8, 2015 hearing on the Motion for Summary Judgment.

[1151]*1151UNCONTROVERTED FINDINGS OF FACT

1. Plaintiff develops, advertises, distributes and licenses computer software programs.

2. Microsoft software is distributed in alb fifty states of the United States of America and throughout the world.

3. Microsoft Certificates of Authenticity and Certificate of Authenticity labels are currency-like documents or labels that Plaintiff includes in or with its software packages to assure end users that they have purchased genuine Microsoft software.

4. A Microsoft product key is a 25-character alphanumeric code arranged in five groups of five characters each that must be entered at the time certain Microsoft software is installed on a computer (“Product Key”). Product Keys are generated by Plaintiff and a Product Key is needed to activate or unlock the associated software program to enable its use. Because Plaintiffs copyrighted software is capable of being installed on a potentially unlimited number of computers, Plaintiff relies on the Product Keys, and in some eases. activation features within its software, to restrict installation and identify abuse of its software.

5. Plaintiffs copyrights in and to its Windows 7, Office 2007, Office Excel 2007, Office Outlook 2007, and Microsoft Office Word 2007 software programs were registered with the United States Copyright Office in compliance with the Copyright Revision Act of 1976 (17 U.S.C. § 101 et seq.) and Copyright Office regulations. The copyrights are assigned the following Registration Numbers:

a. TX 7-009-361 (“Windows 7”);
b. TX • 6-504-552 (“Microsoft Office 2007”);
c. TX 6-524-399 (“Microsoft Office Excel 2007”);
d. TX 6-860-358 (“Microsoft Office Outlook 2007”); and
e. TX 6-524-398 (“Microsoft Office Word 2007”).

6. Plaintiff has been and is the sole owner of all right, title and interest in, and to, the copyright and Certificates of Registration noted above.

7. Plaintiff is the owner of valid, federally-registered trademarks and/or service marks in and to the following:

a. “MICROSOFT,” Trademark and Service Mark Registration No. 1,200,236;
b. WINDOWS, Trademark Registration No. 1,872,264;
c. COLORED FLAG DESIGN, Trademark Registration No. 2,744,843;
d. COLORED FLAG START BUTTON, Trademark Registration No. 3,361,017;
e. “MICROSOFT OFFICE,” Trademark Registration No. 3,625,391;
f. COLOR FOUR SQUARE LOGO, Trademark Registration No. 2,999,281;
g. OFFICE 2010 DESIGN, Trademark Registration No. 4,029,299;
h. “OUTLOOK,” Trademark Registration No. 2,188,125; and
i. “EXCEL,” Trademark Registration No. 2,942,050.

8. Plaintiff has been and is the sole owner of all right, title and interest in, and to, the trademarks, service marks, and registrations noted above.

• 9. Plaintiff’s - Registered Refurbisher Program (“RRP”) is a global program for refurbishers of computer systems who want to provide consumers with professionally refurbished computer systems installed with genuine and properly licensed copies of Microsoft software.

10, After entering into an RRP Agreement, which restricts the use and distribu[1152]*1152tion of Microsoft software components obtained through the RRP, members of the RRP, also referred to as Registered Re-furbishers (“RRs”), have access to discounted licenses for certain types of Microsoft software which allow the RRs to install and distribute RRP software and components on qualifying refurbished computer systems.

11. Defendants are interconnected through various relationships, both business and personal, and have been documented as dealing in counterfeit and illicit Microsoft software and components.

12. Defendants operated a number of websites and entities that sold counterfeit and illicit Microsoft software components to the public, including Mission Softs (www.missionsofts.com), Side Micro (www. sidemicro.com), Laptop Outlet and Capital PC (www.capitalpc.net).

13. Defendants purchasedcounterfeit Microsoft software discs from unauthorized sources. Defendants then paired the counterfeit Microsoft software discs with illicit and adulterated Microsoft RRP Certificate of Authenticity labels (“COAs” or “COA labels”) and sold the counterfeit Microsoft software discs with the illicit COAs to unsuspecting customers.

14. The illicit and adulterated COA labels had identifying information removed, such as serial numbers and text stating that the COAs should be distributed with refurbished computer systems. Product Keys which were obtained by Defendants through the RRP website using their RRP accounts had been improperly added to the COA labels. A genuine RRP COA label does not have a Product Key printed on the label.

15. Defendants also pair counterfeit Microsoft software discs with counterfeit COA labels, which had incorrect artwork and missing security features.

16. Plaintiff does not authorize the distribution of COA labels without the software programs the labels were intended to authenticate. RRP COA labels should only be distributed affixed to a refurbished computer system loaded with a licensed copy of the corresponding RRP software. Defendants instead paired, adulterated RRP COAs or counterfeit COA labels with counterfeit Microsoft software discs or with software the COAs were not intended to authenticate. Defendants then tried to pass the software components off as genuine Microsoft software to their customers.

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136 F. Supp. 3d 1148, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 129566, 2015 WL 5680308, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/microsoft-corp-v-buy-more-inc-cacd-2015.