California law firm takes Indian apparel companies to court

California’s Attorney General Kamala Harris has filed a

lawsuit against two Indian and Chinese apparel companies for allegedly using pirated softwares in the production of their cloths for exports and to be sold in the state. The lawsuits, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, charge Pratibha Syntex of India and Ningbo Beyond Home Textile and its sister companies, of China with violating California’s Unfair Competition Law.

These companies did not pay licensing fees for software, including products manufactured by Adobe, Microsoft, Symantec and others, Harris, who is an Indian American, alleged in her lawsuit. The complaints allege that the foreign apparel makers who have not paid software licensing fees have a significant cost advantage in the low-margin business of apparel manufacturing, shipment and sales.

Harris points out that companies across the globe should be on notice that they will be held accountable in California for stealing our intellectual property. In a statement she says this is an anti-competitive practice which harms their state’s economy and is illegal. These lawsuits go after overseas companies whose unlawful actions are eroding California’s garment industry and placing California companies who legally pay for computer software at a disadvantage.