Big software pirates win more wiggle room

Beverley Head
Thursday, 08 September 2011 15:30

Business IT - Security

Anti-piracy organisation the Business Software Association has announced it paid a company employee $5,000 to dob in his then employer - a Melbourne manufacturing business - for software piracy. Only it didn't - it actually paid $20,000.

The BSA today announced that it has achieved an out of court settlement with a Melbourne manufacturer and secured $150,000 settlement over the company's 'alleged use of software products from Autodesk, Adobe and Microsoft without license.' It's the second largest ever damages bill that the BSA has achieved it says.

It also said that the informant who dobbed in his then employer (he's moved on since) received $5,000, but in fact the BSA was running a two month promotional campaign at the time - which led to a 1,700 per cent increase in the number of calls to its dob-in line - and had to fork out $20,000 to the employee.

BSA Australia co-chair and Microsoft lawyer Clayton Noble today confirmed to iTWire this afternoon that this was the case and the initial announcement was wrong.

But he declined to provide the name of the manufacturer saying that the company had demanded anonymity in response for a swift settlement. Not that other companies might be able to demand that - just the big software thieves it appears.

Mr Noble said that; 'Our approach is no - we won't not name companies. We don't do that -but it's got to be a commercial decision.'

So smaller companies slugged with smaller settlement demands shouldn't expect the same leniency from the big software companies - they will still be named and shamed. In 2010 for example Information Planet Pty Ltd ($74,000 settlement), Orbit Solutions Pty Ltd ($14,000) and Vietmedia Corporation ($10,000) were named and shamed even though they had been slugged with much smaller settlements.