Software companies have launched a campaign to combat the illegal sale of pirated software on the Internet, starting with lawsuits against individuals who set up “shops” selling software on the giant auction site eBay.
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| Source: NewsFactor |
Rivals Symantec and McAfee, typically at odds, have joined forces for the first time to initiate this crackdown. Three lawsuits have been filed in federal court in Los Angeles, accusing five eBay sellers of “suspected copyright infringement.”
“If online ‘marketplaces’ wish to pursue the ideal of a free market they cherish, they must first ensure that the items sold in their marketplace are authentic,” stated Joe Fitzgerald, Vice President of Intellectual Property at Symantec.
Monitoring and Enforcement
The two leading security software companies decided to file lawsuits after uncovering a series of evidences indicating that the aforementioned individuals sold over 15,000 copies of pirated software between October 2005 and December 2005.
McAfee and Symantec are currently working with the Business Software Alliance to review and “patrol” the eBay marketplace along with several other online auction sites to expose those dealing in illegal software.
They stated they would pose as customers to purchase these pirated software copies in auctions and then file lawsuits against the sellers without prior warning. However, this campaign is not targeting eBay or individuals who (may have unwittingly) purchased pirated software.
Significant Damages
When reporters contacted the five individuals being sued, one claimed they had done nothing “wrong.” However, before the reporter could ask further questions, the phone line went dead. The auction account of one individual was no longer active, and all efforts to contact her by phone were unsuccessful. Two others did not respond to emails and have been unreachable.
According to the lawsuit, these individuals are required to pay damages (the exact amount is unclear) and must permanently cease any copyright and trademark infringement in the future.
For many years, software companies have continuously complained that piracy has caused significant losses to their revenues. Estimates suggest that these losses amount to $11 billion to $12 billion annually.
The software industry believes that 90% of the software being sold in current online auctions violates copyright or licensing agreements. Of course, eBay has strongly contested this assertion.
Tian Yi
