BSA calls truce with software pirates

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by Linda Rosencrance

(IDG) -- Starting Thursday, the Business Software Alliance (BSA) will launch a monthlong "Software Truce" campaign in five U.S. cities. The campaign will give companies running unlicensed software the chance to make amends without having to pay penalties imposed by the vendor group.

In February, companies in Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas and Denver that take the necessary steps to become fully licensed will be excused from penalties for software violations occurring before Feb. 1, the BSA said in a statement.

"The Business Software Alliance is offering business and organizations a special opportunity to ensure that all of their software is fully licensed," said Bob Kruger, BSA's vice president of enforcement. BSA worldwide member companies include Microsoft Corp., IBM, Intel Corp., Intuit Inc., Novell Inc., Apple Computer Inc., Symantec Corp., Compaq Computer Corp. and Adobe Systems Inc.

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Kruger said software piracy in the U.S. cost companies $3.2 billion in 1999. Individual states have also lost tax dollars, the group said. According to BSA figures, California lost $274 million in sales tax in 1999, and Massachusetts lost $82 million from companies that used software without paying for it.

The BSA said that over the past eight years it has collected $58 million in penalties from companies caught with unlicensed software. The money collected from settlements is used to fund the organization's education and enforcement programs.

This is the third campaign initiated by the BSA. Similar programs have been launched in Baltimore; Cincinnati; Phoenix; Pittsburgh; St. Louis; San Diego; Tampa, Fla.; and Austin, Texas.

"Our members tell us [the truces] have been successful," Kruger said. "In the early campaigns we found that the calls to our hotlines exceeded our expectations. There are a lot of businesses out there that simply aren't paying attention to whether they have enough licenses. And [it's hard] to get them to add software management to their corporate program. These campaigns result in companies going to resellers and others to legalize [the software] programs [they're] running]."

According to Kruger, the campaigns have generated 2,100 calls to the Truce hotline and approximately 34,000 hits on its Web site. Kruger said he couldn't provide the exact numbers of companies that decided to get legal because of BSA's truce programs.

Kruger said the BSA will contact companies in the five cities via direct mail and radio advertising.

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The Business Software Alliance

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