
Law-breakers sent a message
Published: 28 February 2003 09:46 GMT
Two major trade groups yesterday filed a number of civil lawsuits against people they claim were selling pirated copies of films and software via online auction sites.
The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), Hollywood's chief trade association, brought 12 cases against individuals who were allegedly auctioning pirated editions of popular films including 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' and 'Die Another Day'. The Business Software Alliance (BSA), whose members include Adobe and Apple, filed a handful of similar cases against people it said were selling stolen or illegally copied pieces of software.
Cases were filed in cities across the US, including New York, Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles.
The MPAA's charges are part of the group's Tactics for Auction Piracy (TAP) initiative, a response to what the MPAA estimates was a near doubling last year in the number of auction sales devoted to pirated films. In December, the trade group kicked off the campaign by filing at least nine similar cases in cities around the country; a representative for the trade group said these cases were progressing well.
"It is an unfortunate reality that consumers may be sorely disappointed, finding that the DVD or video that they paid for is not a bargain at all, and that it is, in fact, of a much lower quality than what they expected," MPAA president and CEO Jack Valenti said in a statement. "It is my hope that the TAP II initiative will serve to help protect unsuspecting customers."
Similarly, the BSA is aiming to staunch lost sales from stolen copies of software. It says mail-order piracy is one of the growing contributors to an annual loss of $11bn in sales to software publishers globally.
To catch the alleged offenders, the groups purchased advertised products in auctions and examined them to see if they were illegal copies. The MPAA said that in its suits it had targeted people it claimed were repeat offenders.
"Consumers need to watch out for spam offers and online vendors at otherwise reputable internet sites such as eBay," said Bob Kruger, VP enforcement for BSA. "The actions... are aimed at signalling to vendors that selling pirated software online is asking for a lawsuit."
The groups urged consumers to avoid buying pirated copies of software and films by watching for titles that are "too new to be true" - or too recent to be legitimately offered for wide public sale yet - and by carefully reading labels.
Preferred applicants will possess a combination of the following qualifications: University Degree or Technical School Diploma in a related ...
Our work involves developing systems, which, if they go wrong result in loss of life, environmental impact or significant breaches or commercial ...
Abraxas is also one of the founding members of The Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo). The candidate will be have experience ...
Agenda Setters 2009
Welcome to the ninth annual Agenda Setters poll – silicon.com's list of the top 50 most influential individuals in the technology and IT industries, from techies and CIOs to entrepreneurs and business leaders. Find out more in our latest special report.
Stories from the web...
Copyright © 2008 CBS Interactive Limited. All rights reserved. Top of page
Natasha Lomas Exclusive: Jimmy Wales on what's next for Wikipedia Why Wikipedia needs geeks and why a life unplugged is unthinkable
Peter Cochrane Peter Cochrane's Blog: United breaks guitars? Customer service has changed forever