With
Eight
New
Law
s
uits
SIIA
Has
Take
n
Action
Against
40
Online
Sellers
of
Illegal Software
in
2008
WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA), the principal trade association for the software and digital content industries, today announced the filing of eight new lawsuits against illegal software sellers. The new round includes SIIA's first-ever lawsuits against illegal software sellers on Amazon.com and iOffer.com. These latest actions bring the total number of online auction site lawsuits SIIA has filed this year on behalf of its member companies to 40.
"In the current economic climate, when consumer confidence is already low, it is essential that consumers are able to purchase software online knowing that it is legal and will function properly. Illegal sellers tempt consumers with low prices, but the software often doesn't work and, of course, comes without the full range of customer support offered by manufacturers," said Keith Kupferschmid, SIIA SVP of Intellectual Property Policy & Enforcement.
"The new lawsuits are part of SIIA's continued aggressive pursuit of online software pirates through both the civil and criminal processes," Kupferschmid said. "We are sending a clear message about the lengths to which we will go to protect our member companies, unsuspecting consumers and legitimate software vendors."
"We applaud the SIIA in its efforts to combat software piracy. The distribution of counterfeit software on any online site is unacceptable," said Ryan Boyce, CEO of iOffer. "We hope that by assisting SIIA with promoting this initiative, anyone who buys counterfeit software by mistake will learn how to report illegal sellers."
SIIA has filed 40 lawsuits in 2008 as part of its increased efforts to protect consumers and lawful software vendors, and stop illegal online sales of software. Through its Auction Litigation Program, SIIA filed nine lawsuits in February, eight in March, nine in May, six in July, and eight today. In addition to the civil cases, SIIA investigations have led to the filing of numerous criminal cases by the Department of Justice against notorious online software pirates, such as Jeremiah Mondello who was sentenced in July 2008 to 48 months in federal prison as a result of charges stemming from an SIIA Auction Litigation Program investigation.
"These lawsuits represent an important expansion of the SIIA anti-piracy program," said Scott Bain, SIIA Litigation Counsel. "While all previous online lawsuits were against eBay sellers, this round includes the first-ever action against illegal software sellers on Amazon and iOffer.
SIIA filed the most recent lawsuits on behalf of member company, Adobe. The lawsuits charged all of the following with knowingly selling software, including Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Adobe Acrobat 8.0, illegally on auction sites eBay, Amazon.com, and iOffer: Darwin Mieles, Miami, FL (Seller ID: "dm42017"); Aiden O'Connors, Santa Cruz, CA (Seller ID: "blackwolfblooks"); La'Kieta Prosper, Orlando, FL (Seller ID: "lakieta"); Adrian Garibaldi, Carrollton, TX (Seller ID: "abtechnology"); Manual Marmoletos, New York, NY (Seller ID: "marmomn"); Randy Peek, Toledo, OH (Seller ID: "randy4112"); Tony Kornrumpf, Lookout Mountain, TN (Seller ID: "cyberpcs"); and an unnamed seller from Los Angeles, CA (Seller ID: "topsoftware1").
To date, the SIIA program has led to judgments against and settlements with illegal eBay sellers as well as sellers on other websites dealing in counterfeit, OEM, unbundled, unauthorized education, and other illegal software. Damages paid by defendants have run as high as several hundred thousand dollars. SIIA has also successfully tracked and pursued the upstream sources of these products, and, as necessary, pursued those suppliers.
The SIIA Auction Litigation Program aims to educate buyers and sellers on auction sites regarding the harms caused by illegal software. Among other things, sellers can be prosecuted and buyers can be faced with viruses and no technical support. In addition to the auction piracy lawsuits, SIIA has also sought to protect legitimate sellers and unsuspecting buyers by publishing educational software buying guides for auction sites.
About SIIA
The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) is the principal trade association for the software and digital content industries. SIIA provides global services in government relations, business development, corporate education and intellectual property protection to more than 500 leading software and information companies. For further information, visit: www.siia.net.
