Four California firms pay up $350,000 for illegal software use
The Business Software Alliance (BSA) has announced that four organization in California have paid a combined total of $350,000 for using unlicensed copies of software from Microsoft and Adobe.
According to the BSA, one organization simply purchased a single copy of an application, then willfully installed it on numerous PCs - in clear breach of the software ‘End User License Agreement’ (EULA).
While the majority of software license infringments are more likely to be down to poor management, rather than deliberate illegal behavior, the case highlights the potentially serious financial consequences of failing to manage software assets effectively.
The companies have 45 days from the day they pay their settlements to provide a certificate indicating all their current programs are licensed. The companies will be subject to compliance inspections in coming years.
