SIIA decided to set up the sting after doing a survey in April to determine how much pirated software is sold directly to bidders who are contacted by sellers after being outbid at an auction. In its definition of illegal, SIIA officials counted backup copies of software, as well as CD-RW software, regardless of whether the owner had a license or not. After the SIIA official was outbid, he would receive an e-mail from a seller offering software for less than his lowest bid. Yahoo is considering doing the same, Beruk said. The SIIA white paper also shows how suspected pirates are using Internet auctions to turn better than a 90 percent profit from sales of illegal software products, and how they are reaching thousands of new customers with little effort or cost.
Pirates also enjoy virtual anonymity through multiple screen names, the paper says.
It also explains the risks that consumers face when purchasing pirated software. Privacy Policy Stock data provided by Stockpoint and its data suppliers.