BSA's Tactics and Motives Questioned

_Hellfire_ sends us over to Baseline Magazine for a longish article entitled After 20 Years, Critics Question the BSA's Real Motives, which paints the Business Software Alliance in the same colors as the RIAA. "A recent Associated Press story highlighted the fact that 90 percent of the $13 million collected by the BSA in 2006 came from small businesses. Since 1993 the group has collected an estimated $89 million in damages from businesses on behalf of its members, every penny of which it keeps. 'I don't know of a business where you can get away with raiding a customer with armed marshals and expect them to continue to do business with you...' said [Sterling] Ball, who shifted his company to open source software after the raid."

Comments

Re:BSA?

[jtroutman]

I read it and wondered why Slashdot had an article on motorcycles...BSA (Birmingham Small Arms) was a British motorcycle manufacturer. Back in the day, the bikes were called "beesers", which is why BMWs are now called "beemers" (though, the cars should be called "bimmers", "beemer" only refers to the motorcycles).

the BSA?

[MadAnalyst]

Did anyone else first read this and think horrible things about the Boy Scouts? At slashdot, I have a suspicion more than a few of us have a merit badge or two.