The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) announced it has settled claims for infringement of Symantec's copyrighted software in a case before the Central District of California. The company said the defendant will pay $205,000, as well as agree to other confidential terms, for sales of unauthorized software over eBay.

The lawsuit was among the first filed under SIIA's Auction Litigation Program, which was designed to establish a much greater level of deterrence among pirate and/or counterfeit software sellers on auction sites such as eBay, because, according to the company's announcement, "current strategies, such as taking down auctions through eBay's Verified Rights Owner (VeRO) program, have not adequately remedied the problem."

"Infringers often are able to use multiple user identities, and multiple "storefronts" to continue their activities for long periods of time," said Scott Bain, SIIA Litigation Counsel. "Through our Auction Litigation Program, we are working to identify and pursue these individuals and their sources distributing all varieties of pirated software - whether counterfeit copies or illegal OEM, educational, and unbundled products."

As additional targets are identified and approved by its members, the SIIA will be filing suits against these targets on a regular basis. "SIIA and its members believe that such a continued, vigilant effort on their behalf will do more to stop piracy on auction sites than anything else," the organization wrote in its statement.

http://www.siia.net