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Novell Files Suit against Florida and Utah Companies Lawsuit Alleges Sale of Stolen Property, Copyright Infringement and Trademark Infringement Provo, UTAH -- April 6, 1998 -- Novell, Inc. announced that it has filed a lawsuit against Computer Commodity, Inc. (CCI), of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and MBC Enterprises, LLC (MBC), of Salt Lake City, Utah as well as individuals Marianne Blackburn and James Craghead, owners of MBC.The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Utah, alleges that software CDs slated to be destroyed in Ireland ended up in the hands of CCI who then sold them to MBC. The CDs, which contained Novell's intraNetWare for Small Business software, were then sold by MBC. The disappearance of the CDs is under criminal investigation in Ireland. "This is a case of theft and the sale of stolen property," stated David Bradford, senior v.p. and general counsel for Novell. "Novell will pursue these types of cases with everything at our disposal to ensure that our customers receive legitimate software. The purpose of our Anti-Piracy program is to help our customers and our distribution channel first and foremost." Novell's investigators in Europe traced the product to companies in Germany and the United States. Novell's U.S. investigators then arranged for a test purchase of the product and determined that the product was the same product that had disappeared in Ireland. Novell investigates more than 500 cases worldwide every year. More than $11 billion each year is lost to software piracy, according to the Business Software Alliance (BSA) and Software Publisher's Association (SPA). Novell is an active member of both the SPA and BSA. Novell has established an anti-piracy group and telephone hotline for reporting illegal use of Novell software or making related inquiries. Novell's piracy hotline receives an average of 40 calls per week. Call 1-800 PIRATES (800-747-2837) or send e-mail to pirates@novell.com. Founded in 1983, Novell (NASDAQ: NOVL) is the world's leading provider of network software. The company offers a wide range of network solutions for distributed network, Internet, intranet and small- business markets. Novell education and technical support programs are the most comprehensive in the network computing industry. Information about Novell's complete range of products and services can be accessed on the World Wide Web at http://www.novell.com. Novell and IntraNetWare for Small Business are trademarks of Novell, Inc.
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