A US security outfit is suing the hardware makers who install the Chinese censorship program Green Dam Youth Escort.

Solid Oak Software claims that that the software uses its code and while suing the Chinese government might be a waste of time, it has decided to target Lenovo, Acer, and Sony instead. Solid Oak Software may also take action against other PC makers that have started shipping the software, a company spokeswoman said.

The company previously said it might seek a US court injunction to stop PC vendors from shipping the program, but since it is unlikely to be seen on that side of the Pacific such action was pointless. The software, an Internet filtering tool that blocks pornographic and political content, copied files from Solid Oak's own Internet content control product.

Lenovo, Acer and Sony have all started shipping the program. Lenovo is providing Green Dam pre-installed or on an enclosed disk for most of its computers that support the program. Sony is including a setup file for Green Dam on its machines that users can choose to activate or remove. An Acer representative confirmed the company is also including the program with new machines.