IT firms top UK software piracy roll of shame
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Posted in Channel, 1st February 2004 22:07 GMT
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IT firms are the UK's most prolific software piracy offenders. In 2003, tech sector firms were the subject of 24 per cent of 50 settlements made with the Business Software Alliance (BSA) in the UK. In other words, that makes a whopping 12 IT firms which got caught and which paide up.
Cue much disapproving rhetoric from the BSA: the tech sector should understand software piracy issues better than anyone else, it says. And of course organisations within the IT sector should realise the "effect of piracy on software innovation and the development of the IT sector as a whole".
Siobhan Carroll, regional manager Northern Europe of the BSA, said: "We are particularly unhappy to see the lack of diligence within the IT sector. We would like to see the IT sector as a guardian for our mission but this clearly isn't the case."
Other regular software piracy offenders include the construction/engineering sector (17 per cent of settlements - umm, that would make eight and a half companies , Ed), architecture design sector (10 per cent) and educational organisations (8 per cent).
The BSA aims to increase software compliance through various educational initiatives.
For example, in an effort to help companies deploy successful software asset management strategies the BSA has set up a UK advice site, called justasksam.co.uk. ®
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