The suits are the first filed under SIIA’s new Auction Litigation Program, which aims to monitor popular online auction sites, identify individuals or groups selling pirated software, and prosecute those pirates on behalf of the association’s member companies.

The lawsuits reference three instances of software pirated from Symantec Corporation and McAfee, Inc. sold through e-Bay auctions between October 2005 and December 2005.

“The selling of pirated software, especially through online auction sites, is a growing problem that hurts both business and consumers; and threatens the credibility and viability of online auctions,” observed Keith Kupferschmid, VP of SIIA’s Software Anti-Piracy Division.

The SIIA Auction Litigation Program was designed to establish a much greater level of deterrence among pirate and/or counterfeit software sellers on auction sites such as e-Bay, because current strategies, such as taking down auctions through eBay’s Verified Rights Owner (VeRO) program have not adequately remedied the problem.

In a statement, the Association announced this week that:

"The three suits announced today are just the beginning. As additional targets are identified and approved by SIIA members, SIIA will be filing suits against these targets on a monthly 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."