"Our goal is to give illegal software sellers a rude awakening, so that unsuspecting software buyers and legitimate sellers are protected. For too long, auction sellers have been able to sell pirated software while risking only the removal of their auction. SIIA has upped the ante by bringing those who pirate software to justice in court," said Keith Kupferschmid, senior vice president of SIIA's anti-piracy division.
These nine lawsuits mark the most agressive action taken by SIIA since its auction site program began. The organization monitors auction sites and identifies individuals selling software items without authorization. Along with pirates, the group has also targeted sellers of OEM software. In the conclusion of the Symantec et al. v. Chan et al. case last year, SIIA collected $205,000. The suit involved the sale of OEM, unbundled, counterfeit and software that was not authorized for sale.
"Online auctioning of pirated software hurts both business and consumers," said Scott Bain, litigation counsel. "When consumers buy cheap, illegal software, they get no support and often find they've spent good money on bad software. In addition to taking legal action against software pirates, SIIA is giving consumers tools to help them fight back."
Written by: James Delahunty @ 15 Feb 2008 19:18
