The Motion Picture Association of America crack down on Die Another Day pirates

Yahoo News are reporting that The Motion Picture Association of America and the Business Software Alliance have filed civil lawsuits against people selling allegedly pirated movies and software through online auction sites.

In a statement released Thursday by the MPAA, the movie industry group says it has filed civil cases that involve piracy of more than 50 movie titles. Among those listed, Die Another Day is at the top of the list of targets.

The defendants are not named in the released statement. However, "several online auction sellers of pirated goods" are being targeted in "major markets from New York to Los Angeles," according to the MPAA.

"Consumers need to watch out for spam offers and online vendors at otherwise reputable Internet sites such as EBay," says Bob Kruger, BSA vice president of enforcement, in a statement. "We stand shoulder to shoulder with our colleagues at the MPAA in seeking to protect consumers from the dangers of acquiring pirated products online."

Such products are frequently of inferior quality, and users are ineligible for technical support or upgrades, they say.

The group has also released a list of safety tips for shopping online. The suggestions include guidelines such as watching for shoddy labeling, poor quality, and titles that are too new to be truly legitimate, even as used copies (as the sellers might claim).

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