Microsoft Corp. has filed eight lawsuits against eBay sellers who Microsoft alleges sold counterfeit Microsoft software on eBay. "Online auction sites are an excellent way for people from around the world to buy and sell goods," said Matt Lundy, attorney at Microsoft. "We strongly believe in the convenience and global reach of the virtual marketplace. Unfortunately, a number of online sellers are undermining trust in the system by using the Internet to hawk illegal products to unsuspecting consumers."

Microsoft said it routinely monitors auction sites to identify counterfeit software offerings to protect consumers from buying illegal software. Microsoft asks auction sites such as eBay to shut down offerings of counterfeit software. In 2005, the company requested takedowns of almost 50,000 auctions sites offering pirated software.