The Business Software Alliance has issued an anti-piracy code of practice for Internet auction sites and has awarded its first merit certificate to goody two-shoes Amazon.com.

"It is always a deep honor to be recognized for the thing we care about most - the customer experience," gushes Amazon spokeswoman Patty Smith, who's certainly changed her tune since making the seminal album Horses.

The BSA has been getting increasingly exasperated with auction sites for their failure to police bootleg sales. It estimates that up to 90 per cent of software sold on auction sites is hooky and in November, it filed suit against 13 counterfeiters for for parading their warez variously on eBay, QXL and Yahoo!.

The BSA model code of practice will see auction sites (if they fall into line)

+ prohibit sellers from offering infringing software

+ Take responsibility for keeping illegal software off their site, including actively reviewing their site to identify and promptly terminate infringing auctions

+ Respond quickly and effectively to reports of infringing auctions

+ Post prominent educational messages on their site