By Andy McCue, 2 October 2007 16:04
NEWS
Online auctions selling illegal software worth more than $8m have been detected and closed down during the first half of 2007.
Anti-software piracy body the Business Software Alliance, which represents the likes of Adobe, Apple, Microsoft and Symantec, said it has prevented more than 36,000 illegal software products with a combined retail value of around $8m being sold through online auctions.
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The BSA said this is just the "tip of the iceberg" and warned consumers to beware of auction sites selling software much cheaper than the retail price because of the danger it may contain viruses or spyware.
Microsoft has also won a court case against a company selling counterfeit products on eBay and illegally importing software to the UK.
R J Campbell and his company R J Campbell Limited, which traded as Software Price Beater, have been ordered to pay Microsoft damages and costs of approximately £35,000. The trader has also been ordered to take out an advert in a monthly trade magazine detailing the case and the ruling.
Parallel importation, one of the charges the trader admitted to, is when goods for one country are sold in another without the manufacturer's permission.
Michala Wardell, head of anti-piracy at Microsoft UK, said the company will continue to clamp down on illegal importers.
She said in a statement: "We have noticed that it's not only counterfeit trading that is a big problem, but parallel importing is also becoming a serious issue which is having a detrimental effect on the channel."
Comments
There are 9 comments. Join the discussion
1. A Daley
$8 million at full retail price but only $785k street value...
2. a nony mouse
Try charging the same in the UK as you charge in the US for MS Products ( it's usually DOUBLE the price!) and you might find a reduction in people selling grey imports on auction sites..... duh.
3. Ned Ludd
Whilst I have no problem with clampdowns on Pirated software, I do question the 'parrallel import' issue.
I do not understand why someone in one country is asked to pay substantially more for a product than in a similar country. Software will usually retal at the same porice in US$ as Sterling - meaning those in the UK are paying twice the price.
There would be no market for parrallel imports if the pricing structure was fairer and more realistic. In reality these software giants should be looking to why so many are starting to look at Linux which can often provide similar functionality and is free.
4. Spongebob
Parallel imports ???
Our UK government was petitioned to stop this unfair hike in price but they said that they do not get involved in pricing issues.
Nothing to do with a big fat price gets a big fat VAT percentage on it.
Stinks doesn’t it.
5. anonymous
Localisation is often the excuse for charging more but if the customer doesn't mind why should the company? Of course 100% mark-up may have something to do with it! The worse thing is that it is illegal and you are actually paying for a licensed copy - and they wonder why people pirate the same software.....
6. Simon
Like others I failt o see why parallel importing should be illegal.
Say I make a widget, then sell the widget to someone. Why should I then have rights to prevent the new owner selling that widget on to someone else ? Aren't such restrictions "control of secondary market" which is illegal under EU law ?
7. Michael Miller
BUT parallel imports of MEDICINES are legal! In fact, the pharmacists get paid by the NHS on the basis that 40% of what they get from wholesalers has come from somewhere else in Europe where THEIR nhs insists on lower prices. [Have you not wondered why the blister packs you get in UK have "Lindi Mardi Mercredi etc" overprinted with English?] And under EC rules, there's nothing Glaxo etc can do about it. Favourite sources for this trade are France, Spain and Greece.
So if anyone goes for parallel imports of genuine product software from elsewhere in the EU it should fall under the same rules.
It's only if you parallel import from USA or other non-EU that you'd get caught in the mire.
This is nothing to do with illegal copying, which IS wrong.
8. anonymous
There would be no market for counterfeit software if the prices were fair. Many companies have charged excessive prices for their software. I also feel that 'parallel imports' should be perfectly legal, having had some my own dealerships taken away by more than one major manufacturer for not selling enough of their product. They were not concerned about the better service capapilities we offered. hence when I need certain elctronic equipment I now import it at around half the U.K. price!
9. anonymous
it's legal for cars? Lots of those are imported. MX5 is one that springs to mind, you see loads of imported ones rather than the UK version as it's so much cheaper! How can it be legal for some products and not others?