SIIA files first UK anti-piracy lawsuit

US trade body starts legal proceedings against its first UK-based illegal software trader

The unnamed UK trader was caught by SIIA selling counterfeit versions of Adobe products online

The Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) has filed its first anti-piracy lawsuit in the UK against a reseller caught trading in illegal Adobe software.

The unnamed trader was one of three European resellers found using the online auction site eBay to peddle counterfeit goods.

In the past, defendants involved in similar cases have been ordered by SIIA to pay thousands of pounds worth of damages and, in some cases, have received custodial sentences.

Keith Kupferschmid, senior vice president of intellectual property policy and enforcement at SIIA, said: “In these cases, the sellers purchased it [the software] cheaply from an illegitimate source and sold it again for a profit."

News of the lawsuits follows an announcement by SIIA earlier this year that it was planning to expand its US anti-piracy enforcement activities to Europe.

Kupferschmid added: “SIIA has successfully pursued hundreds of US software pirates, recouped millions of dollars for our member companies and, in some cases, put the culprits in jail.

"With monitoring and enforcement underway in Europe, SIIA is now working to stop software pirates who swindle consumers and companies around the globe."