60-day truce for unlicensed software announced
Announcement posted by Business Software Association of Australia (BSAA) 04 Apr 2001
Clean up illegal software no questions asked, or face heavy penalties later
Eight leading software companies have announced a 60-day truce in the battle against unlicensed software in which companies, organisations and individuals can come forward and legitimise illegal software without the risk of legal action and potentially heavy penalties.
The Software Truce is an initiative of the Business Software Association of Australia (BSAA) as part of its nationwide crackdown on illegal software.
Participating software companies are Adobe, Apple, Autodesk, Macromedia, Micrografx, Manufacturing & Management Systems, Microsoft and Symantec.
The Software Truce will begin on May 1 2001 and run for 60 days, ending on June 30 2001.
The BSAA says that research indicates that almost one third 32 per cent of PC software in Australia is illegal, which is higher than other major developed markets such as the US with 25 per cent illegal software.
Illegal software copying is costing software companies and Australian distributors and retailers almost $300 million a year, BSAA Chairman, Jim Macnamara, said.
President and CEO of the Business Software Alliance (BSA) which represents the software industry globally, Robert Holleyman, in Australia to meet with Federal Government representatives, said Australia would miss out on opportunities in the E-economy if it continued with a high rate of piracy of intellectual property.
E-commerce is the fastest growing industry in the world, forecast by the Gartner Group to reach $6 trillion a year by 2004. In the Industrial Age, societies recognised that they needed to respect and protect physical property. In the Information Age and the New Economy, the countries that succeed will respect and protect intellectual property, Mr Holleyman said.
Countries with a high piracy rate of intellectual property such as software, which is the engine of the E-economy, will miss the boat, he warned.
Terms and conditions apply to the Software Truce and will be available from the BSAA Hotline or website.
To take advantage of the Software Truce, organisations and individuals need to obtain a Truce Participation Number from the BSAA which verifies that they have come forward during the truce period. These numbers will be available from May 1, 2001 from the BSAA by calling toll-free 1800 021 143 or from the website at www.bsaa.com.au.
The Truce Participation Number gives an organisation or individual immunity during the Software Truce to dispose of illegal copies of software or discuss the purchase of licences with software companies, provided they comply with the Terms and Conditions of the Software Truce.
Mr Macnamara said many organisations and individuals were afraid to own up to illegal software because of the risk of legal action, and many were unsure how to take the first steps towards becoming legal.
With the Software Truce, we are allowing a reasonable period for businesses and individuals to review their software installations and sort out any illegal copies or breaches of licences.
From July 1, the BSAA will be again step up its efforts to catch organisations, requesting organisations complete software audits and aggressively pursuing people who are using more copies of a piece of software than they are legally entitled to.
Individuals and organisations making and using illegal software will face heavy penalties, Mr Macnamara said.
The BSAA offers a $5,000 reward for information that leads to successful action against illegal software users, so the risk of being dobbed in is considerable. In recent civil legal actions for software piracy, companies have faced damages claims of over $100,000.
More information
- Toll-free hotline for public inquiries (anonymously if preferred): 1800 021 143 or BSAA Web site: www.bsaa.com.au
- Shots of Robert Holleyman and Jim Macnamara are available, as well as the BSAA logo and Software Truce Countdown Calendar. Please contact Pru Quinlan at Einsteinz on (02) 9569 8788 to obtain copies.
###
The Business Software Association of Australia (BSAA) is affiliated with the Business Software Alliance (BSA) which operates globally in 65 countries.
The Business Software Alliance (www.bsa.org) is the voice of the world's software and Internet industry before governments and with consumers in the international marketplace. Its members represent the fastest growing industry in the world. BSA educates computer users on software copyrights; advocates public policy that fosters innovation and expands trade opportunities; and fights software piracy. BSA members include AccTrak21, Adobe, Apple Computer, Autodesk, Bentley Systems, CNC Software/Mastercam, Compaq, Dell, Entrust Technologies, IBM, Intel, Intuit, Macromedia, Microsoft, Network Associates, Novell, Sybase, Symantec, and UGS.
The Software Truce is an initiative of the Business Software Association of Australia (BSAA) as part of its nationwide crackdown on illegal software.
Participating software companies are Adobe, Apple, Autodesk, Macromedia, Micrografx, Manufacturing & Management Systems, Microsoft and Symantec.
The Software Truce will begin on May 1 2001 and run for 60 days, ending on June 30 2001.
The BSAA says that research indicates that almost one third 32 per cent of PC software in Australia is illegal, which is higher than other major developed markets such as the US with 25 per cent illegal software.
Illegal software copying is costing software companies and Australian distributors and retailers almost $300 million a year, BSAA Chairman, Jim Macnamara, said.
President and CEO of the Business Software Alliance (BSA) which represents the software industry globally, Robert Holleyman, in Australia to meet with Federal Government representatives, said Australia would miss out on opportunities in the E-economy if it continued with a high rate of piracy of intellectual property.
E-commerce is the fastest growing industry in the world, forecast by the Gartner Group to reach $6 trillion a year by 2004. In the Industrial Age, societies recognised that they needed to respect and protect physical property. In the Information Age and the New Economy, the countries that succeed will respect and protect intellectual property, Mr Holleyman said.
Countries with a high piracy rate of intellectual property such as software, which is the engine of the E-economy, will miss the boat, he warned.
Terms and conditions apply to the Software Truce and will be available from the BSAA Hotline or website.
To take advantage of the Software Truce, organisations and individuals need to obtain a Truce Participation Number from the BSAA which verifies that they have come forward during the truce period. These numbers will be available from May 1, 2001 from the BSAA by calling toll-free 1800 021 143 or from the website at www.bsaa.com.au.
The Truce Participation Number gives an organisation or individual immunity during the Software Truce to dispose of illegal copies of software or discuss the purchase of licences with software companies, provided they comply with the Terms and Conditions of the Software Truce.
Mr Macnamara said many organisations and individuals were afraid to own up to illegal software because of the risk of legal action, and many were unsure how to take the first steps towards becoming legal.
With the Software Truce, we are allowing a reasonable period for businesses and individuals to review their software installations and sort out any illegal copies or breaches of licences.
From July 1, the BSAA will be again step up its efforts to catch organisations, requesting organisations complete software audits and aggressively pursuing people who are using more copies of a piece of software than they are legally entitled to.
Individuals and organisations making and using illegal software will face heavy penalties, Mr Macnamara said.
The BSAA offers a $5,000 reward for information that leads to successful action against illegal software users, so the risk of being dobbed in is considerable. In recent civil legal actions for software piracy, companies have faced damages claims of over $100,000.
More information
- Toll-free hotline for public inquiries (anonymously if preferred): 1800 021 143 or BSAA Web site: www.bsaa.com.au
- Shots of Robert Holleyman and Jim Macnamara are available, as well as the BSAA logo and Software Truce Countdown Calendar. Please contact Pru Quinlan at Einsteinz on (02) 9569 8788 to obtain copies.
###
The Business Software Association of Australia (BSAA) is affiliated with the Business Software Alliance (BSA) which operates globally in 65 countries.
The Business Software Alliance (www.bsa.org) is the voice of the world's software and Internet industry before governments and with consumers in the international marketplace. Its members represent the fastest growing industry in the world. BSA educates computer users on software copyrights; advocates public policy that fosters innovation and expands trade opportunities; and fights software piracy. BSA members include AccTrak21, Adobe, Apple Computer, Autodesk, Bentley Systems, CNC Software/Mastercam, Compaq, Dell, Entrust Technologies, IBM, Intel, Intuit, Macromedia, Microsoft, Network Associates, Novell, Sybase, Symantec, and UGS.