More than 100 Microsoft resellers helped to trace the counterfeit software and provided physical evidence, including e-mail messages, invoices and payment slips.

The case is "a strong demonstration of the improvement in criminal law legislation and enforcement of intellectual property rights in China," Zhao Bingzhi [cq], president of the Criminal Law Research Committee of the China Law Society and vice president of the China Group of the International Association of Penal Law, said in a statement.

Among the counterfeit products were Windows XP, Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2003. The copies were available in English, simplified Chinese, Spanish, German, Korean and other languages.