In other words, Symantec's Registry Mechanic functions exactly like the scareware/malware that pops up to tell you that your system is infected and that you must fork over your credit card details to get your computer cleaned. The premise of the lawsuit is rather simple: Gross claims that PC Tools Registry Mechanic, which is ostensibly a system performance booster, 'does not conduct any actual diagnostic testing on the computer.' The complaint continues: 'Symantec intentionally designed its Scareware to invariably report, in an extremely ominous manner, that harmful errors, privacy risks, and other computer problems exist on the user’s PC, regardless of the real condition of the consumer’s computer.' The plaintiff, James Gross, hopes to expand the lawsuit to a class action suit that could result in Symantec losing millions of dollars. Today's irony cup overfloweth: A Californian man has filed a lawsuit against Symantec, claiming that its software uses scare tactics to scam consumers out of money - the exact same tactics that fake antivirus malware uses to scam unwitting computer users out of millions of dollars every year.

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