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Novell stings pirate for $600,000

Better margins than NetWare

Novell has won more than $600,000 from a Californian software pirate who auctioned fake goods online.

Novell alleged that Chris Bonner used several alias accounts on eBay's auction site to shift unlicensed copies of its Net Services software. The company filed the suit in the US District Court for the Eastern District of California, and reckoned that Bonner conducted more than 40 auctions of fake Novell goods over a six-month period.

The vendor said it did try to let Bonner off the hook. Before filing the suit back in September 1999 its anti-piracy investigators met Bonner and asked him to quit the auctions. He agreed, and handed over what he claimed was the rest of the illegal stash. The crafty conman then continued to flog pirated software via 20 more auctions.

"This type of business practice is not only damaging to our sales channel, which is trying to compete fairly, but it also confuses and harms the honest customers who are seeking to acquire legitimate, licensed software," said Novell senior VP and general counsel Josie Parry.

The win will add to Novell's existing anti-piracy stash. In October it was awarded $2.4 million in damages from a South Korean OEM found guilty of counterfeiting software.

Suspected Novell software piracy can be reported on 1-800-747-2837. ®

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