The Business Software Alliance (BSA) has doubled the money it will give to anyone passing on information about software pirates.
The BSA, funded by companies such as Microsoft and Adobe, had previously set a ceiling of £10,000 for the payouts, which has now been doubled.
The £20,000 bounty will be available until the end of the year and anyone wanting to blow the whistle will be kept anonymous.
Originally, the BSA gave rewards to those who shared details of their employer’s or ex-employer’s illegal software of up to 10 per cent of the value of the software recovered.
The UK’s software piracy rate currently stands at 29 per cent, according to analyst firm IDC.
Siobhan Carroll, regional manager for northern Europe, said she hoped the increased bonus will serve to increase awareness of the dangers of software piracy.
