Woman Threatened With Lawsuit Over...Embroidery?
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Updated: 10:07 AM Mar 14, 2008
Woman Threatened With Lawsuit Over...Embroidery?
An elderly woman living on social security is being threatened with a lawsuit that she cannot afford to settle, all because she won an Ebay auction in 2005.
Posted: 9:47 PM Mar 13, 2008
Reporter: Brian Quick
Email Address: brian.quick@wibw.com
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Mary Cox didn't think much of it when she won an Ebay auction in 2005 for the right to buy a disc of embroidery online. She says once she got it, it didn't even work that well.

Now she is being threatened with a lawsuit by the Embroidery Software Protection Coalition. They are saying she illegally bought pirated software -- the disc she got through Ebay.

She only pulls in just more than $600 per month on Social Security. She cannot afford to pay a settlement -- or hire a lawyer to fight it.

She doesn't know what she can do.

Washburn Law Professor Jim Wadley says she may get out of it, because the company would likely spend more to sue than they would get out of it.

Still, she is concerned. She is going to call the Attorney General's Office, as well as the Washburn Law Clinic for help.


Latest Comments

Posted by: DGM on Mar 14, 2008 at 11:01 PM

This is just a case of litigation bullying. Even if the disk is a copied disk, the seller of the disk is the one who is at fault for distributing the disk. As for the embroidered images on the disk, she should stop making anything with it, but they cannot take her to court for what is already done. She bought it in good faith. They would be better off asking her for information on who sold it, as that would be the more appropriate target. Copyright law and IP law is getting all messed up in this country.
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Posted by: Charlene Location: Texas on Mar 14, 2008 at 09:16 PM

How do you know if you are buying something "legally" from e-bay or anywhere else for that matter? Is there a way to check everything out to make sure it wasn't pirated?
[ Report Abuse ]
Posted by: Vikki Location: Washington State on Mar 14, 2008 at 04:23 PM

I am sorry to hear all of this is going on. Stay in there
[ Report Abuse ]
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