Microsoft hunts pirate auctioneers

In brief Microsoft is cracking down on software pirates who hawk their wares through online auction sites. Redmond has filed eight lawsuits in the US against sellers it claims sold counterfeit MS software via eBay. The company said it became aware of seven of the alleged pirates through customer submissions to its Windows Genuine Advantage program. It said it also monitors auction sites, and requested 50,000 takedowns of dodgy deals last year.®