U.S. Company Sues for $2.2 Billion Over Software Piracy in China

A U.S. software maker has filed a $2.2 billion lawsuit against the Chinese government, two Chinese companies, and seven computer manufacturers.

California-based Cybersitter says the Chinese companies illegally used more than 3,000 lines of its code for an Internet monitoring program called “Green Dam - Youth Escort.”

Last year, the Chinese regime had mandated that computer makers install Green Dam on all computers sold in China. The system blocks information deemed politically sensitive by the regime as well as pornography. Chinese authorities scaled back the project after a major public outcry from computer users and businesses that saw the software as a threat to their computer safety and to free speech.

Among the computer manufacturers named in the lawsuit are Sony, Lenovo and Toshiba. Cybersitter says they complied with a directive from the Chinese regime to distribute the software, even after they knew about the piracy allegations.

Cybersitter says more than 50 million copies of Green Dam have been distributed in China.