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eBay sets antipiracy moves
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February 28, 2001: 8:51 a.m. ET
Online auction firm begins policing its site for copyright infringement
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Internet auction site eBay Inc. has begun monitoring items for sale on its Web site for possible copyright infringement, according to a report Wednesday.
The company has been removing listings for software, movies and other copyrighted content since the new program began quietly in December, the Wall Street Journal reported.
 The paper described the monitoring system as a victory for software makers and other intellectual-property interests. It said eBay searches potential problem listings manually to look for apparent violations.
The self-monitoring program is a major shift in legal strategy for eBay, which previously refused to screen items because it feared being held liable for frauds or other illegal sales, the paper reported.
The San Jose, Calif.-based company, however, has come under increasing pressure from the Business Software Alliance, the software industry's antipiracy trade group, as well as from individual software makers such as Microsoft Corp. (MSFT: Research, Estimates).
Shares of eBay (EBAY: Research, Estimates) closed Tuesday $3.25 lower at $42.13. The stock has a 52-week high of $127.50 and a low of $26.75. 
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