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AG Harris files software piracy lawsuit against two apparel manufacturers

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris filed lawsuits against two apparel manufacturers, one in China and the other in India, for using pirated software in clothing production imported and sold in California.

The companies did not pay the licensing fees to the software companies for their products, including Adobe, Microsoft and Symantec.

The lawsuits were filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court against Pratibha Syntex Ltd. from India and Ningbo Beyond Home Textile Co. Ltd from China for violating California’s Unfair Competition Law.

"This is an anticompetitive practice which harms our state economy and is illegal," Harris said in a press release from the Attorney General’s office. "These lawsuits go after overseas companies whose unlawful actions are eroding California’s garment industry and placing California companies who legally pay for computer software at a disadvantage."

The complaints allege that the companies obtain unfair advantage by redirecting the money saved by using pirated software into hiring more employees and expanding their business.

Pratibha Syntex Ltd. exports women’s cotton tops and various other types of clothes, and has shipped about 19,000 pounds of clothing into California. Ningbo Beyond Home Textile Co. Ltd. exports men’s suits, jackets and fleece clothes, and has shipped about 713,000 pounds of clothing into California in 2010.