NOVELL AND MICROSOFT SETTLE LARGEST BBS PIRACY CASE EVER

REDMOND, Wash. - January 12, 1996 - Microsoft Corporation and Novell, Inc.
jointly announced today they have reached a settlement with Scott W.
Morris, who was doing business as the Assassins' Guild Bulletin Board
Service (BBS), in what is believed to be the largest settlement ever with
the systems operator of a pirate electronic BBS. The settlement concludes
litigation filed by Microsoft and Novell in the U.S. District Court for
the Eastern District of Kentucky. Under the agreement, Mr. Morris will pay
$70,300 in cash and forfeit computer hardware valued at more than $40,000.
Mr. Morris also agrees to assist Microsoft and Novell in their continuing
BBS investigations.

The Assassin's Guild billed itself as the worldwide headquarters for two
large pirate groups, Pirates with an Attitude (PWA) and Razor 1911. U.S.
Marshals raided Mr. Morris' residence last April on the basis of
plaintiffs' claims of illegal reproduction and distribution of
copyright-protected software. The BBS had been offering access to hundreds
of pirated software products, including those published by Microsoft and
Novell, to users throughout the U.S. and around the world over its
state-of-the-art system. Marshals seized 13 computers, 11 modems, a
satellite dish, 9 gigabytes of online data and over 40 gigabytes of
off-line data storage dating back to 1992.

"This case sets an important precedent for this industry," said Bob Kruger,
Director of Enforcement for the Business Software Alliance (BSA). "It
sends a clear message to operators of bulletin boards who are illegally
distributing copyright-protected software that they will be investigated
and sued, or criminally prosecuted. It also sends a message to our
industry that, large or small, no software publisher is immune from
bulletin board piracy."

"Online piracy is a growing concern for software publishers around the
world," said Jim Lowe, Microsoft Corporate Attorney. "We are committed to
working with industry representatives and law enforcement agencies to stop
this trend. Pirates such as the Assassins' Guild are stealing intellectual
property that represent years of development time and investment on the
parts of publishers large and small."

Both Novell and Microsoft are members of the BSA, an industry alliance
formed to promote the growth of the software industry through public
policy, education and enforcement initiatives. In 1994, the BSA estimates
that software publishers lost over $15.2 billion as a result of software
piracy. In the United States alone, the BSA estimates that 35 percent of
the business software in use is pirated, resulting in losses of more than
$2.8 billion.

Consumers or resellers having questions related to software piracy should
call the Business Software Alliance's Anti-Piracy Hotline at
1-800-688-BSA1 or email software@bsa.org. For consumers or resellers with
questions regarding the legitimacy of Microsoft products, they should call
the Microsoft Anti-Piracy Hotline at 1-800-RU-LEGIT or email
piracy@microsoft.com. For consumers or resellers with questions regarding
the legitimacy of Novell products, they should call the Novell Anti-Piracy
Hotline at 1-800-PIRATES or email pirates@novell.com.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in
software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range or
products and services for business and personal use, each designed with
the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take
advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
 
 =========================================================
 From the 'New Product News' Electronic News Service on...
 AOL (Keyword = New Products) and Delphi (GO COMP PROD)
 =========================================================
 This information was processed from data provided by the
 company/author mentioned. For additional details, please
 contact them directly at the address/phone# indicated.
 Trademarks are the property of their respective owners!
 =========================================================
 All submissions for this service should be addressed to:
 BAKER ENTERPRISES,  20 Ferro Dr,  Sewell, NJ  08080  USA
 Email:   rbakerpc@delphi.com   --or--   rbakerpc@aol.com
 =========================================================
