Microsoft hit with WGA lawsuit

Microsoft has found itself in hot water again over its Windows Genuine Advantage antipiracy software.

The software maker has been fending off flak from PC owners ever since it came out that the notifications tool in WGA checked in with Microsoft every time the system was restarted--it's even been called "spyware." On top of that, the company has had to deal with accusations that it had made unwitting guinea pigs of its customers by sending out a prerelease version of the tool.

Now a computer user from Los Angeles has sued Microsoft over the technology, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer has reported. The suit (PDF here), filed this week in Seattle, alleges that Microsoft violated state consumer protection and anti-spyware laws by installing the WGA software on systems without properly telling people it was doing it. It is also asking the court for class-action status.

So far, Microsoft has made moves to calm down the kerfuffle--saying it will pull back on how often WGA phones home and offering ways to deal with the software. It'll be interesting to see how this case goes.