Microsoft is to sue UK high street retailer Comet for selling allegedly unauthorised CDs containing Windows software.
The US computing giant has issued proceedings against Comet for allegedly creating more than 94,000 counterfeit "recovery discs" for its Windows Vista and Windows XP operating systems.
However, the retailer says it will contest Microsoft's claim.
Comet says it acted in the interests of consumers because Microsoft had stopped supplying the recovery discs with new computers.
"Comet firmly believes that it acted in the very best interests of its customers," said a spokeswoman for the retailer.
"It believes its customers had been adversely affected by the decision to stop supplying recovery discs with each new Microsoft operating system based computer."
Microsoft alleges that Comet produced the counterfeit CDs at a factory in Hampshire and then sold them to customers from its 248 stores across the UK.
"As detailed in the complaint filed today, Comet produced and sold thousands of counterfeit Windows CDs to unsuspecting customers in the United Kingdom," said Microsoft lawyer David Finn.
"Comet's actions were unfair to customers. We expect better from retailers of Microsoft products - and our customers deserve better, too."
