The Business Software Alliance has paid an individual a
“substantial five-figure sum” for giving it a tip-off that an
employer was using unlicensed software, according to a report by
TheRegister.co.uk.
Baines & Ernst Financial Management was one of five UK
companies sued last September by the BSA for the alleged use of
unlicensed software. The BSA, which represents its member software
companies such as Microsoft and Adobe in copyright infringement
actions, offers a reward of up to £10,000 for information that
leads either to a successful settlement or prosecution for its
members.
According to The Register, the debt management company was using
more than 400 unlicensed copies of Microsoft Office and some
unlicensed copies of Windows. The settlement figure was kept
confidential. The company blamed poor software auditing for the
mistake. The employee who blew the whistle is likely to have
received 10% of the award.
The BSA estimates that more than one in four pieces of business
software in the UK is pirated. In many of its enforcement actions,
the companies involved simply failed to ensure that they had
sufficient licenses for the software in use. Company directors are
legally responsible for software asset management. Failure to take
this seriously can result in an unlimited fine or in the
worst case scenario – imprisonment.
