Motorola Sues Over Sales on EBay

Motorola Inc. said it filed lawsuits in federal courts in several states, including California, to stop the sale of its radio-service software on the online auction Web site EBay. The radio software is a computer program used with IBM-compatible computers to program Motorola’s two-way radios. Motorola licenses the software to its partners and customers on a restricted basis. Five defendants acquired Motorola’s radio-service software for many of its two-way radio models without the company’s consent and advertised and sold the software via EBay, Motorola said. The suits, which allege copyright infringement, seek monetary damages and an injunction to stop sales of the software. Motorola said it intends to pursue lawsuits as it identifies new violators. EBay could not be reached for comment. Motorola closed unchanged at $33.25 on the NYSE. EBay rose $3.13 to close at $50 on Nasdaq.