ELK GROVE, Calif. (Jan. 31, 2006) — A Florida judge has awarded $20,000 in statutory damages plus more than $12,200 in attorney's fees to ALLDATA L.L.C. in its lawsuit against a Florida resident the company accused of software piracy.
U.S. District Court Judge William Terrell Hodges agreed with Elk Grove-based ALLDATA that Tom Taylor illegally copied and sold the company's automotive diagnostic and repair software, in violation of copyright law.
Ruling in Ocala, Fla., the judge permanently enjoined Mr. Taylor from any future copyright infringement and ordered him to deliver all existing copies of the counterfeit software to ALLDATA. He did not contest the findings, according to a company press release.
ALLDATA General Manager Jeff Lagges said in a prepared statement that “software piracy goes way beyond one person copying one program. In one year alone, worldwide software companies lost more than $13 billion and thousands of jobs due to piracy. Pirated software also hurts the user because they receive no customer support and end up using outdated or defective products.
“With our customers and our employees depending on us, ALLDATA will continue to aggressively protect the products we create.”
Founded in 1986, ALLDATA is an AutoZone company that provides automotive repair information and solutions to automotive service shops across North America.