SIIA Sues 8 eBay Sellers Over Software CopiesSIIA Sues 8 eBay Sellers Over Software Copies

The Software & Information Industry Association has filed eight lawsuits in federal court against eBay software sellers. The SIIA said it's the second-largest number of lawsuits it has filed at once in an attempt to curb intellectual property theft. The group filed nine lawsuits in February.

The SIAA filed the latest lawsuits on behalf of Adobe Systems in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against defendants in seven states. The action is part of the group's Auction Litigation Program, which monitors Internet auction sites and identifies individuals or groups selling pirated software.

The Auction Litigation Program has led to successful prosecutions, including Symantec, et al. v. Chan, et al. In that case, defendants sold OEM, unbundled, and counterfeit copies of software without resale authorization.

The SIIA warns that those who buy illegal copies of software don't get technical support and risk getting viruses. The group publishes software buying guides and offers a certification program for software sellers, so consumers can identify legal software resellers.

In the latest suits, the association accuses Todd Bennett of Phoenix, Marvin Brown of San Antonio, Andrew Channin of Lawrenceville, N.J., Alex Jackson of Westlake Village, Calif., Denis Norton of Plymouth, Conn., Kamal Salibi of Doral, Fla., Simon Yeo of Los Angeles, and Stephen Cavener and the Henry A. Lineberger Group LLC of Philadelphia. The defendants are accused of intentionally selling illegal copies of Adobe Photoshop CS3 and other software.

Scott Bain, an SIIA lawyer, said the group plans to continue suing illegal sellers "without warning, regardless of where or how the seller acquired the illegal copies."