Wisconsin Steel Manufacturer Pays $144,000 to Settle Claims of Unlicensed Software Use
WASHINGTON, March 24 /PRNewswire/ -- The Business Software Alliance (BSA), the voice of the world's commercial software industry, today announced a settlement with Wausau Steel Corporation of Wausau, WI. Wausau Steel paid $144,000 to BSA to settle claims that it had unlicensed copies of Adobe, Autodesk, Microsoft and Solidworks software installed on its computers. As part of the settlement agreement, the company agreed to delete all unlicensed copies of software from its computers, acquire any licenses necessary to become compliant, and commit to implementing stronger software asset management (SAM) practices. BSA was alerted to the unlicensed software use by a confidential report made on its web site www.nopiracy.com.
Wausau Steel is an independently owned full-line steel service center that started in Wausau, WI and has grown over the last 10 years to add production facilities in Milwaukee, WI and Big Lake, MN.
"Wausau Steel worked fully with BSA in resolving any issues of unlicensed software use. It is important for all businesses to conduct software licensing reviews before finalizing any purchase of software assets," said Mike Keefe, Officer and Vice President of the company. "Performing the software audit allowed us to maximize our IT efficiency and helped us to protect our own software assets."
"All businesses need to be certain they have adequate licenses for all software installed on their computers," said Jenny Blank, BSA's Senior Director of Legal Affairs. "Proper software asset management helps to maximize a company's IT investment and ensure the highest level of software security. Unfortunately, the use of unlicensed software is a significant issue that impacts the technology industry and ultimately jeopardizes the spirit of innovation and creativity that is so critical to success."
DATA
2008 US Piracy Rate* |
20% |
|
2008 U.S. Losses to Software Industry |
$9.1 Billion |
|
vs. 2007 |
-1% |
|
Benefits of reducing piracy by 10%age points over 4 years** |
32,000 new jobs; $41 billion in economic growth; $7 billion in tax revenue |
|
2008 Global Piracy Rate |
41% |
|
2008 Worldwide Losses to Software Industry |
$53.0 Billion |
|
vs. 2007 |
+3% |
|
* Sixth-Annual BSA-IDC Global Software Piracy Study |
||
** Economic Benefits of Reducing PC Software Piracy Study |
||
BSA Rewards Program |
Know It, Report It, Reward It |
|
Rewards Paid by BSA Since 2008 |
$327,000 |
|
Avg. Annual End-User Piracy Reports Received by BSA |
2,419 |
|
Website for Reporting Piracy to BSA |
||
Hotline for Reporting Piracy to BSA |
1-888-NO-PIRACY |
|
BSA website |
||
Free Self-Audit tools provided by BSA |
www.bsaaudit.com |
|
Facebook (keyword) |
Business Software Alliance (BSA) Anti-Piracy |
|
Fines for violating copyright law |
$150,000 per title copied |
|
If convicted of violating copyright law |
$250,000 per title copied and/or Jail (up to 5 years) |
|
Risks of Software Piracy |
Financial: Thousands of dollars in fines and damages |
|
Technical: Information security risks; viruses, trojans, malware; Identity theft; Exposure of sensitive data and personal information. |
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Legal: Fines, Criminal Prosecution, Risk of being caught by BSA |
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About BSA
The Business Software Alliance (www.bsa.org) is the foremost organization dedicated to promoting a safe and legal digital world. BSA is the voice of the world's commercial software industry and its hardware partners before governments and in the international marketplace. Its members represent one of the fastest growing industries in the world. BSA programs foster technology innovation through education and policy initiatives that promote copyright protection, cyber security, trade and e-commerce. BSA members include Adobe, Apple, Autodesk, Bentley Systems, Corel, Dassault Systemes SolidWorks Corporation, Microsoft, Minitab, Quark, Quest Software, Rosetta Stone, Siemens, Sybase, Symantec, and The MathWorks.
SOURCE Business Software Alliance
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