The Business Software Alliance (BSA) recently started a campaign offering up to R 100,000 to employees who report employers using pirated software.<\/p>\n
According to an ITWeb report the “BSA chairman Alastair de Wet says the hotline and online report figures spiked by 200% in the first month since the campaign started. Calls came in at twice to three times the volume after the first radio advert, he adds.”<\/p>\n
The BSA website states that a reward of up to R100,000 is available for every report BSA successfully concludes with a judgment or settlement. The reward system is not new, but the BSA upped the previous maximum reward from R 50,000 to R 100,000.<\/p>\n
“This is based on 10% of the amount of the settlement to a maximum of R100,000. If you want to claim this reward, you will need to supply us with your name and contact details. Confidentiality is still assured,” the BSA website states.<\/p>\n
Many large companies, including Adobe, Apple, Corel, Microsoft, Siemens and Symantec are BSA members.<\/p>\n
Microsoft joins in<\/strong><\/p>\n Software maker Microsoft has announced that it is stepping up its fight against pirated and counterfeit software with the announcement of the “Global Anti-Piracy Day”. This is a simultaneous launch of education initiatives and enforcement actions in 49 countries on six continents.<\/p>\n In South Africa, the day was marked with two raids on dealers in Durban suspected of selling illegal software. Other activities include intellectual property awareness campaigns, engagements with partners, educational forums, local law enforcement training, and new legal actions against alleged software counterfeiters and pirates.<\/p>\n “Software piracy and counterfeiting is a sophisticated, global trade with a damaging impact on consumers, businesses and economies, and Microsoft is committed to working with other stakeholders to stay a step ahead of this illegal industry,” said Charl Everton, the anti-piracy manager at Microsoft SA. <\/p>\n “We’re working with national governments, local law enforcement agencies and our customer and partner communities to identify international connection points between software pirates and counterfeiters. The aim is to help stop them in their tracks and protect consumers and legitimate businesses from this illegal trade.”<\/p>\n Guy Sebban, secretary general of the International Chamber of Commerce, said the global trade in fakes threatens consumers, businesses and the economy.<\/p>\n “It will only be possible to halt counterfeiting and piracy on a global scale through this kind of collaboration between governments and the private sector — both to educate people about the value of intellectual property and to take action against trade in illicit products,” he said.<\/p>\n John Newton of Interpol’s IP Rights Project says there is growing evidence that highly organised, transnational criminal organizations and networks are involved in the counterfeiting of software and other goods. <\/p>\n “This is a global problem with global sources of supply; this is why we need to work together — the public and the private sectors — to stop this trade,” said Newton.<\/p>\n According to Microsoft one third of PCs in South Africa contain unlicensed, pirated or counterfeit software. “As technological advances expand opportunities for criminal syndicates to manufacture and distribute fakes, it is clear that piracy and counterfeiting pose a real and growing threat to intellectual property and innovation,” said Microsoft.<\/p>\n Microsoft further says that the piracy of business applications in South Africa cost commercial software publishers almost R2,3 billion last year. Estimates suggest that reducing piracy by 10 percentage points over four years could generate an extra 1 200 jobs in the local IT sector, R6 billion in local industry revenue and R490 million in additional tax revenues.<\/p>\n “By addressing this illegal activity, Microsoft is helping to level the playing field for legitimate dealers who are harmed when illegal sales cut into their business, and ensure that consumers receive the full value of licensed, genuine products,” said Everton.<\/p>\n