When the Business Software Alliance (BSA) went after guitar string manufacturer Ernie Ball for having some unlicensed software on a few of its computers, the company settled for $100k rather than fight. But then the BSA started using Ernie Ball as an example in advertising. Sterling Ball, the company's CEO, was pissed.
Ball told his IT department he wanted Microsoft products out of his business within six months. "I said, 'I don't care if we have to buy 10,000 abacuses,'" recalled Ball, who recently addressed the LinuxWorld trade show. "We won't do business with someone who treats us poorly.
They switched over to open source software, and Ball has never been happier. Read the story -- ironically on MSN's website -- here. (Thanks to Ernie The Attorney)