Over half (52%) were sales of counterfeit Microsoft Windows,
while 36% were fake copies of Microsoft Office.
According to Microsoft, the crackdown is working. It says that
eBay removed 11,535 suspected counterfeit sales from the site in
August. This fell to 4,460 in September and 5,423 in October.
A band of approximately 100 suspected illegal traders accounted
for more than 3,000 of the items.
Michala Alexander, Microsoft UK head of anti-piracy, said:
"Purchasers of Microsoft software do not own copyright for the
software; rather they license the technology and have permission to
use it under the terms and conditions of the original licensing
agreement. Traders should be aware of licensing agreements so as to
avoid breaking the law by illegally selling our technology."
EBay does not monitor its website for fake goods, but it will
remove infringing items once they have been brought to its
attention by the rights owner or its representative.
It has set up the Verified Rights Owners Programme (VeRO) to
assist rights owners. Participants have the ability to identify and
request removal of allegedly infringing items and materials.
