Software heavyweight Microsoft has hit 20,000 Australian small businesses with round two of a revamped anti-piracy compliance program and anadvertising campaign designed to corner companies who infringe on software licensing programs.
The small businesses, not necessarily Microsoft customers, opened their mailboxes recently to find they were the recipients of a business software summary form that requires a company audit of its PC population and Microsoft software - legally or otherwise owned.
Under the program, it's mandatory that missing licences be bought by a company, which must also sign statements to verify their compliance.
There is a mid-January deadline for compliance.
Over and above the 20,000 businesses mailed directly, Microsoft intends to extend its reach to the one million small businesses Australia-wide with an advertising campaign.
"It's the first time we've done this kind of broad advertising," director of Microsoft Australia's small business division Kevin Burke, told ZDNet.
"The small business market is so large that the cost to go directly is prohibitive," Burke said. "Advertising will reach a larger number of organisations," he added.
A range of advertising, including radio, will run throughout December in publications such as the Sydney Morning Herald. Ads will also hit the wires with banner ads sporting Microsoft's anti-piracy stance rocking up to a number of Web sites.
Round one of the compliance program kicked off in June and a "reasonable number of forms were completed," according to Burke.
Round two will involve an advertising campaign to encourage more companies to tow the line.
The program will run until the end of February and relies again on the honesty of businesses and their willingness to even return the form.
Microsoft will be back in the ring for round three in the first half of next year, targeting businesses who are still breaching software licensing.
The Business Software Alliance of Australia estimates a 32 percent piracy rate in Australia with retail losses hitting the US$150,000 million mark.
