An initiative by the Business Software Alliance (BSA), which doubled the potential reward for anyone reporting the use of illegal software, has prompted a massive rise in the number of companies being reported for software piracy.
The BSA saw a 175% increase in the number of informants who came forward to report employers across the UK. Informants are being offered a reward of £20,000 until the end of this month.
“These results are a clear warning to company directors that they are seriously at risk of being caught out if they persist in using illegal software,” said Siobhan Carroll, regional manager northern Europe at the BSA.
“Given the remarkable increase in the number of leads we received, which almost tripled in May, we are expecting a continued surge in the number of informants coming forward before the end of June deadline. Hopefully, this news will encourage businesses to make software licensing a top priority.”
Illegal software use – deliberate or accidental – is a major problem among businesses of all sizes in the UK. According to research house IDC, 27% of software in use in UK businesses is illegal.
The BSA provides free ‘health check’ and software auditing tools, tips and advice to help companies ensure software compliance and implement effective software asset management at www.justasksam.co.uk.
