Diane Goins

In August 2008, BSA announced a judgment in the amount of $250,000 against Diane Goins, 55, of Richmond Hills, Ga. “Having the judgment against me is the worst thing.” Goins had been selling counterfeit copies of Corel software on eBay to supplement her retirement income. “Somebody from BSA made a purchase, tested and found it was pirated.” The investigation showed that between January and May 2008, Goins sold more than $212,000 worth of unlicensed software on eBay.

Online auction sites are among the most popular destinations on the Web, with millions logging on to buy and sell a vast array of products including software. In fact, estimates have pegged the problem in the range of 50-90 percent. Some of the most frequently sold titles on auction sites include products by Adobe, Autodesk, Corel, Intuit, McAfee, Microsoft, and Symantec.