SANTA CLARITA : Ex-Candidate Settles Software Lawsuit
A Santa Clarita computer store owner who lost a bid for a seat on the City Council after being accused of illegally copying software has settled a civil lawsuit in the matter for $31,000, his attorney said Wednesday.
Gary Johnson, who owns Consolidated Micro Services, did not do anything illegal but agreed to settle the lawsuit filed by the Computer Software Publishers Assn.
A court fight would have been too expensive, said Michael McEntee, Johnson’s attorney.
But Ilene Rosenthal, an attorney for the association, said the trade group had evidence that Johnson had violated copyright laws by loading software onto the hard disks of computers as an incentive to entice customers into buying his equipment.
Rosenthal said the association agreed to settle the suit “to raise awareness of the proper use of software without driving Mr. Johnson into bankruptcy.”
Johnson finished fifth of 16 candidates in the City Council election April 14.
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