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The software company brought lawsuits against stores in California and Virginia, claiming they sold pirated copies of its products.

Complaints about small software sellers in California and Virginia led to Microsoft suing them for dealing in pirated software.

Microsoft's suits name CEO Microsystems Inc. and Wiston Group Inc. in California. In Virginia, Microsoft sued #9 Software Inc., East Outlet LLC and Super Supplier LLC. The Redmond-based software company accuses them of selling illegal copies of Windows XP, Windows Server, and SQL Server.

According to a Reuters report, Microsoft received consumer complaints when buyers tried to register their software purchases, but could not do so through the automated process. Those customers then called a special anti-piracy line to report the problems.

"In filing these lawsuits, we hope to curb the amount of pirated and counterfeit software on the market and keep illegal software from finding its way into the hands of unknowing consumers and businesses," Mary Jo Schrade, a senior attorney at Microsoft, said in a statement.

Ms. Schrade maintained that the companies named today were given the opportunity to comply with current laws, including the Anti-Counterfeiting Amendments Act.

"In these cases we sent cease-and-desist letters to help them understand our concerns," she explained.

David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business. Email him here.