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12 Companies Caught Stealing Software in 2007
buzzardsbay writes "Already forgotten Major League Baseball's Mitchell Report? Here's another kind of 'cheaters' list that folks will want to avoid. Baseline Magazine has compiled the top 12 companies fined by the Business Software Alliance last year for not playing by the rules of asset management. According to the report, many of the BSA's busts are made possible through a BSA Reward Program, which offers up to $1 million to individuals who report offending companies."
MS actually donates BSA nice % of their money they use to look for the stealing companies.
I'm not saying it's right to steal software, but what I'm saying is, if one day, BSA agent is knocking at your door, DO NOT LET THEM IN without any court order. They have no right to check for your licenses without any court orders. keep that in mind.
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I did not mean to imply that I condone software piracy, I really don't. I too am a software developer but have also worn the IT guy hat on many occasions. The issue is that some of these people reporting the "violating" companies were in fact the ones who helped or suggested pirating the software in the first place. It is that which I find detestable. Yes, the BSA claims that a stipulation for compensation is that you were not involved in the piracy in the first place, but that is often extremely hard to prove and often would just become a case of "he said, she said".
"To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield." - Tennyson
Amazingly, as a software developer I don't see any reason to further help billyboys empire along any further than they already are.
Also I have a bad feeling about ratting out people, if gates-et-al want to make more money licensing they'll either have to lower their prices or increase the quality of their anti piracy measures. These right now have the amazing side effect of locking out legitimate customers which costs those legitimate customers probably a multiple of what the BSA rakes in annually.
I can see your point, if you live from developing software it makes sense in principle but I feel that software licenses have had their longest time in the sun, and the sooner licensed software for basic functionality dies off the better.
There will always be a market for quality software sold under license by professionals willing to maintain that software past the point of sale but the windows-word-excel-powerpoint lemon has been squeezed enough I think. It's just customer lock-in and more or less forced upgrades that are driving that now, nothing to do with real software development.
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That one is interesting. It moved to Linux years ago. I am guessing that they aquired a new CTO who loves MS and has now cost the company not just the fine, but all the time and money on lawyers and new enforcement. The company should think about going back to Linux.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Most of the copyright infringement is for Microsoft, Adobe, and Symantec. Some is for AutoDesk. Less for Borland.
Honestly... besides AutoDesk... none of those companies is even worth infringing upon from.
When will cheap-bastards learn that there are comparable FREE alternatives? Maybe the $100k fines aren't enough. They should try harder to ruin businesses who insist on infringing. Not to be all bad though, they should also offer F/OSS conversion consultants in exchange for the infringement fines (and as a bargaining chip to lessen the fines).
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Possibly, but remember that by the BSA's rules it's irrelevant whether you've paid for the software or not. If you got Microsoft Windows XP included on a computer from Dell, have the COA for the installed copy of XP, have an invoice for the computer but don't have a line item on the invoice for Windows XP, you're a pirate and may get included on this list. Ditto for Adobe. Notice how the same software companies show up on the list of "pirated" software, and the majority of them are companies whose software is included bundled with computers from major makers. How many of those settlements are for real piracy, and how many are just for missing records for bundled software that the BSA knows full well was paid for when the computer was bought but it'll cost the company more to prove it than the BSA is asking in settlement?
You forget that this is the BSA we're talking about. Their idea of "stealing" is that you don't still have your purchase orders for EVERY last computer. You thought that sticker on the machine was any good? Forget it. If you lack a PO, you're not licensed to them. Then they use the "force people to settle or you pay even more" tactic so these things rarely go to court.
But you don't believe me, right? Here's the story of someone who has been through the BSA ringer.
Oh well, at least he learned his lesson: stick with FOSS. No licensing games, no hassle. Just one lousy rule to abide by: distribute the source with the binaries. Not difficult.
Let's write our own list with stories about the BSA members.
Like... remember when Microsoft ripped off code from Apple's QuickTime and ended up paying $150M to Apple? Or when they pirated that disk compression software and ended up paying... well, probably lots of money... to... that company?
Okay, clearly my memory isn't perfect here, but who's got a good story about Adobe, Apple, Microsoft or someone else ripping off another company, infringing copyright or otherwise acting illegally?
After all, what's good for the goose is good for the gander. Let's expose them all!