Net services software maker Novell Inc. said Tuesday that the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California awarded it more than $600,000 in the software piracy case it brought against Davis, Calif. resident Chris Bonner.
Novell’s Anti-Piracy Group — which includes a dedicated Internet Piracy Unit — brought the suit against Bonner in September 1999, alleging he had used a number of alias accounts on eBAY to distribute unlicensed copies of the company’s software.
According to Novell, Bonner held more than 40 illegal auctions of its software in a six-month period. Novell said its investigators even met with Bonner and asked him to discontinue his activities. At the time Bonner agreed to Novell’s requests and gave investigators what he represented to be the remainder of the pirated software, according to the company. But Novell said its investigators soon learned that Bonner had continued to distribute the software, opening nearly 20 new 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 Josie Parry, senior vice president and general counsel for Novell.
