BSAA to target SMEs in anti-piracy drive - News - Business

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This story was printed from ZDNet Australia.
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BSAA to target SMEs in anti-piracy drive

By Vivienne Fisher, ZDNet Australia
November 30, 2001
URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/business/soa/BSAA-to-target-SMEs-in-anti-piracy-drive/0,139023166,120262154,00.htm

The Business Software Association of Australia (BSAA) plans to continue to pursue litigation against Australian companies which use illegal computer software.

Jim Macnamara, BSAA chairman, said software copyright infringement was a serious issue in Australia, citing research the industry association had commissioned which indicated 30 percent of all PC software in this country is illegally copied. He said this was a higher rate of piracy than in countries such as the US, Canada, and the UK.

While the BSAA has targeted large business in the past, Macnamara said it would increasingly also focus on SMEs.

It also plans to target vertical markets which its research has shown to have high levels of piracy in Australia. This will include graphic design, Web design, printing and advertising related industries, and the computer-aided design (CAD) market. -These are industries which intensely use software and tend to be small to medium businesses," he said. -[They] often have very lax controls on their software [use]."

Macnamara used the analogy of a tradesperson going into a hardware store and taking tools to build a house, as a comparison to companies using illegal software to conduct their business.

-If [companies in these industries] are using sophisticated software, it's a legal and moral requirement to pay for that software," he said. -We are trying to send a message to those vertical markets."

On Wednesday the BSAA issued a statement relating to legal proceedings its members Microsoft and Adobe had filed against advertising agency Mojo Partners. The case is due to be heard in the Federal Court in Sydney on February 14 next year, and relates to alleged illegal use of Microsoft and Adobe software.

Macnamara said it had a number of methods for uncovering illegal use of software. This included a reward scheme where individuals can report and supply evidence about infringements. To discourage spurious reporting, the association requires affidavits. Sources typically include employees, ex-employees, computer technicians and consultants, as well as retailers and distributors.

According to Macnamara, if after signing an affidavit the complaint is found to be incorrect the individual could face charges such as contempt of court or perjury. -If they can provide good details we then take it further," he said. -You soon learn whether the person has a good grasp of the facts."