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The final countdown on software piracy

Announcement posted by Business Software Association of Australia (BSAA) 05 Jun 2001

Visit www.bsaa.com.au to register
At the half-way mark in its 60-days Software Truce, the Business Software Association of Australia (BSAA) has reported receipt of more than 1,000 calls to its hotline, more than 35,000 website sessions and over 400 businesses have registered under the Truce.
The BSAA has described the reaction to its Software Truce as overwhelming and reiterated its invitation to businesses to come forward and clean up illegal software under its truce, which offers immunity from legal action.
"But theres only 26 days to go. The Truce ends of 30 June, 2001 and after that the BSAA will take legal action against any businesses or organisations reported for piracy, BSAA Chairman, Jim Macnamara, said.
We would encourage everyone to visit the BSAA website at www.bsaa.com.au to find out more about the Software Truce or register online as the hotline is regularly jammed with calls. Interested parties will find everything they need online, including the Q&A, Software Truce Terms and Conditions, free audit tools and guides and the Software Truce participation registration form, he said.
Calls to the BSAA hotline have increased tenfold from an average of 100 per month during the BSAA Software Truce and registrations have been received from a wide range of businesses and organisations with less than five PCs through to large government agencies.
Mr Macnamara said the response to the Truce was particularly encouraging in view of the recent BSA Global Software Piracy Study released on the May 26 which found Australias software piracy rate had increased slightly from 32 per cent to 33 per cent in the past year and compared unfavourably with the USA, Canada and UK which had average piracy rates of 25 26 per cent.
About the Software Truce
The Software Truce is an initiative of the Business Software Association of Australia (BSAA) as part of its nationwide crackdown on illegal software. Participating companies are Adobe, Apple, Autodesk, Filemaker, Lily Software Associates, Macromedia, Micrografx, Microsoft and Symantec.
The Software Truce started on May 1 2001 and will end on June 30 2001.
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 up until June 30 2001 from the BSAA by calling toll-free 1800 021 143 or from the website 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 licenses with software companies, provided they comply with the Terms and Conditions Of the Software Truce, which are available on the BSAAs website at www.bsaa.com.au.
More information
Toll-free hotline for public inquiries (anonymously if preferred): 1800 021 143 or BSAA Web site: www.bsaa.com.au
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, Borland, CNC Software/Mastercam, Compaq, Dell, Entrust Technologies, IBM, Intel, Intuit, Macromedia, Microsoft, Network Associates, Novell, Sybase, Symantec, and UGS.