It seems the “nice” Canadians aren’t being so nice when it comes to Microsoft’s perceived monopoly in the marketplace.

A B.C. Provincial Supreme Court judge has approved a lawsuit to be classified as class action against Microsoft Canada that alleges anti-competitive practices and could seek more than $1 billion in damages.

The plaintiffs, Pro-Sys Consultants, are launching the lawsuit – mimicking that of many similar cases in the U.S.A – claiming that the Redmond giant started its unfair practices in the 80′s when it began setting up computers with its own OS to dominate the market and drive competitors out of business. They argue that once it had little competition, Microsoft raised licensing fees, forcing users to pay more due to the artificially inflated price.

The initial scope of the suit will only include B.C residents who purchased a license for Microsoft operating systems or bought a computer with a Microsoft OS pre-installed since January 1994, however the plaintiff’s may work with lawyers in other provinces to seek approval in their courts.