Earlier this year, California and Washington state joined Massachusetts in taking actions against companies that gain unfair competitive advantages though the use of pirated information technology.
On January 24, California Attorney General Kamala Harris filed actions against two apparel manufacturers, one based in China (California v. Ningbo Beyond Home Textile Co. Ltd.) and one based in India (California v. Pratibha Syntex Ltd.), alleging the two companies gained illegal advantages over law-abiding competitors in U.S. markets by using pirated or counterfeit information technology (IT). The lawsuits were filed under California’s Business & Professions Code § 17200.
