Microsoft sues over eBay piracy
MICROSOFT is suing eight people suspected of hawking counterfeit software on eBay.
All but one of the accused bootleggers was targeted through Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage program, which validates users' software as a condition of providing online updates.
Complaints about some of the purportedly bogus software sellers were also reportedly logged on an anti-piracy telephone hotline operated by the company.
The civil suits were filed in US federal district courts in the eight US states where the defendants live.
Microsoft said it "routinely monitors" online auction sites for pirated software and asks operators to pull bootleg offers.
