Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) antipiracy tool is at the center a class action lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Monday.
The WGA program collects hardware and software data from the user's system and delivers it to Microsoft servers. This information is then used to warn of possible piracy violations.
The lawsuit alleges the program violates consumer protection laws in California and Washington state, and laws against spyware, invasive programs that surreptitiously collect data.
The suit contends that Microsoft misled users in delivering WGA to computers, masking it under batches of monthly updates that often include critical security patches. It asks Microsoft to delete all data collected by WGA and provide users with the ability to remove the software from their computers, in addition to damages.
"In truth and in fact, Microsoft, in its efforts to maximize revenue through antipiracy measures, misled consumers and the public as to the true nature, functionality and operation of its WGA," the suit said.
In response to user complaints, Microsoft released a new version of WGA this week allowing people to opt out of notifications. The update also changes the frequency with which the program contacts Microsoft to check the validity of Windows.
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