BSA Attacks Toronto
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Our friends at ITworld Canada sent word the Business Software Alliance, or the Canadian version Canadian Alliance Against Software Theft, just targeted Toronto for their next media blitz. They will generate plenty of noise in the media to convince employees to snitch on their employers for big, big rewards. Currently they dangle $200,000 in the US in front of employees to convert them to disgruntled former employees willing to squeal about illegal software. Unfortunately, this tempts many employees to steal the very evidence their employers need to prove their software is legal.
I talked about the BSA's shameful tactics last May and June, but let me remind you how they twist your legal rights and completely ignore ethical business practices. They won't admit what evidence will trigger an investigation, they won't tell you upfront what constitutes legal evidence, and they force your resellers to turn over information about you without your knowledge.
The Bully Software Alliance loves companies in the 25-50 million dollar revenue range, because those companies have enough users to lose track of software installations and licenses. Better, they have enough funds to pay a fine over $100,000, a number guaranteed to get more media coverage for the BSA. But companies this size don't tend to have a staff of in-house lawyers able to negotiate, meaning getting outside counsel may cost more than the fine.
Fines become creative tools with the BSA to better squeeze honest companies into capitulating. For instance, you buy Microsoft Office as one item, but the BSA applies fines for each individual software application within Office. Suddenly your fine for one misapplied software package, or one lost delivery receipt for that software, multiplies by six. This leverage crushes honest companies with paperwork problems. Worse, it crushes companies where disgruntled former employees stole the delivery receipts for software licenses before calling the BSA. Yes, it happens regularly.
Find your software license purchase documents, particularly delivery receipts and packing slips, and lock them in your safe. Copy them and keep those copies offsite. Read the information at Scott & Scott for a wealth of useful defense tactics. Force your software vendors to provide written reports of your purchases. And don't let anyone, even a trusted reseller, come and inventory your software "just to be sure." You can't trust the BSA or anyone they touch.
ITworld.com
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