LUCKNOW - About 50,000 pirated DVDs of Microsoft Windows 7 are estimated to have been sold in India since the official launch on Oct 22, generating unaccounted business of around $100,000.

"This is the biggest market in the region,” said a shopkeeper in Hazratganj, claiming at least 50,000 DVDs of the pirated Windows 7 have been sold since hitting the Indian markets within 24 hours of the official launch, fetching sellers about Rs50 lakh so far.

The legal version of the new operating system launched by Microsoft Corp costs between $150and $300 on the international markets.

The company, however, tagged its prices 20 percent below international rates in India, where it is available in the Rs 6,000-Rs 11,000 range through official channels.

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