A French consumer group has filed three lawsuits against Hewlett-Packard (HP) and two electronics retailers concerning the sale of computers with preloaded software.HP’s consumer PC offerings are sold with Microsoft’s Windows OS, said Alain Spitzmuller, legal affairs director for HP France. The group, the Union Federale des Consommateurs-Que Choisir (UFC), alleged consumers frequently lack the option of buying “bare” computers without software. UFC said it wants consumers to be able to choose the software for their machine and get reimbursed for purchasing an OS they did not want.UFC contends the packaging of both hardware and software together violates a French law that prohibits linking the functionality of a product to another product. HP, which this year overtook Dell as the world’s top PC maker, disputes the claim. The company is not in violation of the law because the OS is an integral part of the PC, Spitzmuller said.“The PC without an OS is not a product because it doesn’t work,” Spitzmuller said. “We believe the market is for products that work.” French courts have rejected two civil suits filed by individuals against HP that were founded on the same claim as UFC, Spitzmuller said.Included in the complaints are retailers Auchan and Darty. The complaints were filed Thursday in courts in Paris, Bobigny and Nanterre, said Gaelle Patetta, UFC legal director.Spitzmuller said the judicial process will take months. -Jeremy Kirk, IDG News Service (London Bureau)Related Link: HP Overtakes Dell in Global PC SpaceCheck out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content feature The CIO’s new role: Orchestrator-in-chief CIOs have unique insight into everything that happens in a company. Some are using that insight to take on a more strategic role. By Minda Zetlin Dec 04, 2023 12 mins CIO CIO CIO opinion Fortifying the bridge between tech and business in the C-suite To be considered a tech-forward company today, there has to be a focus on tech fluency across the C-suite, which creates a unique opportunity for CIOs to uplevel their roles and expand their footprint across the enterprise. By Diana Bersohn and Rachel Barton Dec 04, 2023 7 mins CIO CIO CIO brandpost Sponsored by G42 Understanding the impact of AI on society, environment and economy By Jane Chan Dec 03, 2023 4 mins Artificial Intelligence opinion Website spoofing: risks, threats, and mitigation strategies for CIOs In this article, we take a look at how CIOs can tackle website spoofing attacks and the best ways to prevent them. By Yash Mehta Dec 01, 2023 5 mins CIO Cyberattacks Security Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe