Microsoft has agreed to let bygones be bygones with The MPO Group, an authorised disk replicator which it says made thousands of unauthorised copies if its server software.

Under the settlement, France-headquartered MPO Group has admitted it was a very naughty boy by breaching the replication agreements it had in place with Redmond.

According to Microsoft this had to be a whopper, since it does not operate that kind of license scheme. Once MPO realised this, it cooperated with Microsoft in the worldwide hunt for the counterfeit disks, which are still turning up in the supply chain.

Microsoft anti-piracy Counsel David Finn said: "We appreciate the steps MPO has taken to tighten their security procedures to prevent a recurrence of this type of wholesale counterfeiting of Microsoft software."

"We...look forward to an ongoing relationship with them." ®

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