One of the sellers of the software is based in
the UK, while two are in Germany and the others are located in the
US and Austria.
The BSA, which is funded by major software
companies, said that the move was the beginning of an international
clampdown on online counterfeit software sales.
"To all offenders out there, large or small,
our message remains the same: software piracy is illegal and we
will be bringing legal actions against internet pirates to tackle
this serious problem" said John Wolfe, the BSA's director of
internet enforcement. "The international litigation announced today
is just the beginning of our expanded efforts to fight global
software piracy."
The BSA warned that a quarter of all software
bought online from sources other than the original publisher
contained additional or malicious code which could damage
computers, according to a study by research firm IDC.
"Along with the explosive growth of internet
use and online shopping, there is an increase in consumers'
exposure to illegal software," said Peter Beruk, director of
anti-piracy and compliance programmes for McAfee and chair of the
BSA's internet committee. "At BSA, our goal is to educate the
public about how they can protect itself from fraud and to enforce
compliance with copyright laws."
The organisation says that the problem is a
major one, and that it had shut down online auctions selling 20,000
pieces of software valued at $17 million in 2006.
The UK person involved was allegedly operating
a website selling unlicensed copies of valuable design and
architecture software product Autodesk. The other alleged
infringers were said to be selling copies of software made by
Microsoft, Adobe, McAfee and Symantec.
