Crackdown coming on illegal software users
The organisation, which represents the interests of software publishers and computer technology companies, said the move was part of a targeted campaign to address the high rates of software piracy in SA.
“Software piracy is rampant in SA and found across all business sectors, including financial services, technology and manufacturing companies. This is having an impact on their efficiency and data security and ultimately on our economy,” said Le Roux.
The organisation’s vehicles would tour the cities handing out educational brochures and delivering software audit requests. The organisation aimed to deliver letters requesting that companies conduct an immediate software audit to over 2500 businesses suspected of using illegal software.
Le Roux said SA’s software piracy rate stood at 36% of all software sales, representing about R1,2bn in losses to the country, including fines and missed economic opportunities.
Software piracy is the failure to comply with software licence agreements. There are three forms of software piracy: a licensed software user passing software to others to copy; businesses underreporting the number of computers in which the software is installed; and criminals copying the software and selling it as the original product.
Le Roux said businesses needed to inspect their software assets closely because being caught using illegal software could result in having to pay a significant fine.
The organisation worked with a law firm to target businesses that used unlicensed software.
Last year, one business faced fines of more than R945000.
The company, as part of an agreement with the organisation, also had to purchase legal versions of the software it needed to operate.
Le Roux said the organisation and the trade and industry department were in discussions to ensure that changes to the Copyright Act discouraged software piracy.
The organisation called on Trade and Industry Minister Mandisi Mpahlwa in September last year to make changes to the outdated Copyright Act.
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