In Most Aggressive Legal Action to Date, SIIA Sues Nine Accused of Selling Pirated Software on eBay

Suits in Northern California Aimed at Protecting Legitimate Sellers and Unsuspecting Buyers on eBay

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) announced today it has filed the largest round of lawsuits since launching its auction site anti-piracy program two years ago. SIIA filed nine separate suits in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, on behalf of members Adobe Systems Incorporated and Symantec Corporation. The lawsuits are part of SIIA's comprehensive program to battle rampant auctioning of pirated software.

"SIIA has declared war against those who continue to sell pirated software on auction sites such as eBay," says Keith Kupferschmid, SVP of SIIA's Anti-Piracy Division. "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."

The nine suits represent the most significant legal action SIIA has taken since launching its Auction Litigation Program, which monitors popular online auction sites, identifies individuals or groups selling pirated software and sues those pirates on behalf of the association's member companies. The program has led to successful prosecutions of eBay pirates and OEM software sellers, such as the defendants in the Symantec, et al. v. Chan et al. case several months ago, who were reselling OEM, unbundled, counterfeit and other copies of software not authorized for resale.

"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."

The SIIA Auction Litigation Program is part of a continuing program to work with buyers and sellers on auction sites to get the word out that pirated software is bad for both ends of the sale. Sellers can be prosecuted and buyers can be stuck with viruses, no technical support and no recourse. SIIA's Don't Get Mad, Get Even Campaign offers a way for purchasers to strike back -- they report the illegal sale, provide proof (disks) and receive money back to buy legal copies. (See http://www.siia.net/piracy/dgmge.asp for details.)

Additional new programs for auction-site buyers include software buying guides and a certification program for software sellers (Certified Software Resellers) to help steer consumers of auctioned software to sellers who have promised to sell only legal software. These programs represent SIIA's full-frontal assault on auction piracy.

About SIIA

The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) is the principal trade association for the software and digital content industry. SIIA provides global services in government relations, business development, corporate education and intellectual property protection to more than 800 leading software and information companies. For further information, visit http://www.siia.net.