The software alliance, also known as bsa, is a trade group established by microsoft corporation in 1988 and representing a number of the worlds largest software makers and is a member of the international. According to business software alliance bsa the raid led to seizure of software estimated to be. Qrce website, launched in august 2007, was developed and maintained inhouse. Properly preparing for and responding to software audits can reduce the financial and organizational impact on your business.
A change in the winds for software piracy epicenter. As a business owner, you should know that you shouldnt abuse the software licenses that your business relies on to function, or use pirated software to fulfill that need. Through years of helping more than 250 clients navigate the. So im reading the newsforge commentary on the newest microsoft and business software alliance bsa threat letters here, and im wondering. The software license police business software alliance.
The raid was aimed against wellknown groups like fairlight, kalisto, echelon and class project x. Bsa raids indonesian companies which run pirated software. Depending on the industry, piracy either stifles economic. According to information provided by the organization, bsa is a non profit trade group of software producers which acts to promote the software industry worldwide through enforcement of. Risky business tangling with the business software.
How the business software alliance will come after your. Business software alliance bsa, the leading global organisation that is the voice of the global commercial software industry and its hardware partners before governments and in the. Get business software alliance contact details such as address, phone number, website, latest news and more at. The software alliance, also known as bsa, is a trade group established by microsoft corporation in 1988 and representing a number of the worlds largest software makers and is a member of the international intellectual property alliance.
The bsa encapsulates or encapsulated workers of william gates. Bob kruger, who heads antipiracy efforts at the business software alliance, a software company trade organization, thinks that drinkordie is still at the height of its piracy game. And, as it turns out, the spa is conducting a lot fewer raids these days in part, boast the spa folks. Software audits are a hassle, an embarrassment, and can result in hefty fines and worse. Yesterday detik reported that bsa, together with the indonesian police, is getting its hands dirty by raiding a few companies in indonesia. Bsa caught using infringing image for its snitch on your.
The business software alliance bsa has called on businesses to take immediate steps for ensuring that they are using only legal and licensed software following a raid on 18 june 2007 by. The business software alliance bsa represents the interests of founding and maintaining members, to whom the bsa is a collective front. The business software alliance, an international antipiracy softwareindustry. Kpdnkk raids two companies for using unlicensed software.
Stupidly, our it department invited them in to explain. Business software alliance regularly goes after small firms that cant. Three illegal software traders in sharjah have become the latest parties to meet the long arm of the business software alliance bsa following yet another set of raids initiated by microsoft. What your business needs to know about software raids. In extreme cases, the bsa will get court approval to raid companies in. The software alliance, also known as bsa, is a trade group established by microsoft in 1988 to represent commercial software makers. Learn about bsas work on responsible ai, protecting consumer privacy, strengthening cybersecurity, promoting crossborder data, and helping people train for the future. The raids turned up over 4,000 pieces of illegal microsoft goods. Business software alliance company the bsa was created by microsoft in 1988 in an attempt to combat software theft. Helped by law enforcement officials some of them armed they. The third northern irish company in a year has been has had its use of unlicensed software publicised in humiliating fashion by the business software alliance bsa. Seize infringing software and may seize computers, laptops, servers and any other potential.
About 80 percent of these were of the software giants windows xp system, which premiered on 25 october in the us and. So im reading the newsforge commentary on the newest microsoft and business software alliance bsa threat letters. The bsa insists that this is one of their best tools which they then use to raid small companies for questionable audits that often completely. Sharjah software resellers busted business strategy. Astea alliance marketing empowers companies to transform prospects into customers by creating multichannel marketing campaigns. Im a faculty member at a public university which the business software alliance contacted in a bulk mailing last fall. The target of the raids was the warez group, a loosely affiliated network of softwarepiracy gangs that duplicate and reproduce ed software over the internet.
Security imperative, business opportunity june 2018 bsa global software survey in brief a round the world, software has become one of the most ubiquitous and essential. According to chicago outplacement firm challenger, gray and christmas, nearly 2 million people were laid off in 2001. The washingtonbased alliance, which includes american film, music and business software companies, called mexicos enforcement record abysmal and sent a 10point emergency. Weatherhead center fellow michael impink shares his research on the effect of business factors on software piracy in highgrowth countries. B s a business software alliance guidestar profile. The business software alliance bsa is an organization of big software developers aiming to curb software piracy. In its capacity as a member of the business software alliance bsa, the leading global organization. One latin american business is standing up to microsoft after a recent software raid, and is suing redmond, the business software alliance and others for extortionlike behaviors during the. This event was organized by mediascope and supported by jordan computer society, microsoft, the ministry of. Microsoft gulf and qatars ministry of economy carry out. The alliance includes the majority of leading software publishers including. Wilcom partners with bsa the software alliance wilcom product. It is headquartered in washington, dc and counts all the big it majors amongst its members including microsoft, ibm, adobe, autodesk etc.
Microsoft gulf and qatars ministry of economy carry out raids against illegal retailers. In the meantime, we bring you an interesting perspective on software raids from the business software alliance, a nonprofit trade association created to advance the goals of the software. The business software alliance, a trade group representing adobe, apple and microsoft, is offering hard cash to facebook users who report businesses that use unlicensed software. Singapore police raids for illegal software mirandah asia. Business software alliance discusses ways to tackle. Raids against online piracy networks techspot forums. I am an intellectual property attorney in southlake, texas who has handled more than 230 business software alliance audit matters for small to mediumsized companies. Im not sure how people in general think of business software alliance bsa, especially those living in developing countries and are cramming their computers with illegal.
To combat this issue, front line raids have been successfully carried out with the assistance of local law enforcement authorities. Mohd roslan emphasized that the raids reflected the seriousness of the criminal offences committed by the increasing number of corporate software pirates in the country, and are set. A software raid can be defined as a raid on a business who is believed to be intentionally and illegally using copying onto their computers without a license to do so, or in excess of a license, reproducing, or distributing software in violation of the rights of the holder, thus, willfully infringing the ed software of the. Its principal activity is trying to stop infringement of software produced by its members. Bsa and abu dhabi authorities seize pirate software cds in raids on it resellers software, business strategy, business applications. Business software alliance gets it wrong on software theft. Software police accused of targeting small businesses fox news. A software raid can be defined as a raid on a business who is believed to be intentionally and illegally using copying onto their computers without a license to do so, or in excess of a license. Record 84 raids against businesses using unlicensed software in 2015. Kpdnkk kluang branch chief, abdul wahid ahmad said the raids were conducted following complaints from business software alliance bsa, which is the leading advocate for the global software industry. A typically, microsoft refers any inquiries about business software alliance bsa raids to the bsa. Bsa offers facebook users cash if they rat on software.
Dcbased antipiracy group, the business software alliance. What your business needs to know about software raids vondran. Ministry of domestic trade, cooperatives and consumerism enforcement division seizures valued at rm16. B s a business software alliance nonprofit explorer. Business software alliance how is business software. Once again this resulted in business disruption, reputational damage and legal costs, which could have been avoided if the company had acquired legal licenses in the first place. Instead, they usually rely on the business software alliance bsa. Director for enforcement serves fair warning to companies. Abdul wahid continued, both raids were initiated upon receiving tipoffs from bsa the software alliance bsa on the alleged use of pirated software in the. Pirated software raids by enforcement officers land two kluang. The latest raid is part of the ongoing antipiracy campaign launched by the united arab emirates uae authorities in association with business software alliance bsa to combat software piracy by. This happens every year, the business software alliance releases its figures on how much the theft of software costs the industry. Over the years microsoft and the business software alliance bsa have carried out numerous raids on companies large and small.
Abu dhabi police raids three companies for using pirated. Apply to alliance manager, android developer, systems administrator and more. The business software alliance bsa, a washington, d. Business software alliance company information, contact. In the meantime, we bring you an interesting perspective on software raids from the business software alliance, a nonprofit trade association created to advance the goals of the software industry. Our members create innovative software that improves peoples lives and grows the economy.