Microsoft smells a rat in copycat mouse raid

More than 10,000 fake Microsoft mice were captured last week, following a police raid on a Dutch warehouse.

Microsoft Benelux sources believe their mousetrap killed a major European source of the counterfeit products.

The mice were made outside Europe and distributed from the Netherlands, according to MS. They are packaged like the OEM version of the Microsoft Mouse, which is supposed to be sold only with new computers.

Microsoft has said the mice are of inferior quality, but they are almost indistinguishable from the real thing except for a slight difference in the logo.

Microsoft Benelux has asked a number of unnamed dealers to stop reselling the fake mice. The company is also threatening some dealers with legal action if they fail to co-operate with the investigation.