HP Wins Copyright Suit Against Abtech Systems
Abtech is Forced To Pay HP $900,00 And Turn Over Pirated Software. The U.S. District Court in Sacramento, Calif. has entered judgment against
Abtech Systems, Inc. of Carlsbad, Calif. in favor of HP in its copyright infringement and fraud lawsuit against Abtech. Abtech and its president Robert Russell agreed to have judgment entered against them and to pay HP $900,000 in damages. Abtech also agreed to abandon the resale and leasing of HP 3000 computers.
HP filed suit against Abtech in the U.S. District Court in March, alleging that the company, its president and others improperly used confidential HP software known as SS_Config to illegally reconfigure HP 3000 computer servers without paying the necessary license fees. During a court hearing, HP presented uncontroverted evidence that Abtech improperly possessed and used a bootlegged copy of the SS_Config program.
A federal court judge has required Abtech and Russell to turn over and stop using all copies of SS_Config or other proprietary HP software. The court also has entered an injunction against Abtech, forbidding the company, its president and any affiliated companies or agents from engaging in any business activities that violate HP's proprietary rights in the HP 3000 and HP 9000 series of computer servers. As a result, the court has required Abtech to terminate all leases of HP 3000 computers that it unlawfully altered. The injunction also requires Abtech to fully comply with all copyright, trademark and proprietary rights of HP in the resale or leasing of used HP 9000 computer servers.