Business software alliance monitors software use

2010-01-01

BUSINESSSOFTWAREALLIANCEMONITORSSOFTWAREUSE

JEAN-FRANÇOISJOURNAULT*
ROBIC,
LLP
L
AWYERS,PATENTANDTRADE-MARKSAGENTS

Oneofthemainproblemswithsoftwarepiracyisthefactthatnumerousbusinesses
thatdonotpossesstheappropriatelicencesfortheirsoftwarearenotconsciousof
theillegalnatureoftheiroperationsorthescopeoftheproblemuntiltheyreceivea
denunciation.However,faultyacts,eveniftheyareinvoluntary,canhavegrave
consequences.
TheBusinessSoftwareAlliance(hereinafter”BSA”)isofteninvolvedinimportant
interventionsagainstbusinessesfortheillegaluseofsoftware.TheBSAisan
associationthatfightsagainstsoftwarepiracyandwhosemembersinclude
softwaredevelopers,suchasAdobe,MicrosoftandSymantec,whoseproductsare
frequentlyusedbycompanies.Interventionsareusuallyaresultofadenunciationof
non-compliancetransmittedtotheBSAbyanindividualhavingpreciseinformation
withrespecttothismatter.
Thereareseveralmeasuresthatcanbetakentoensurecompliancewithsoftware
licencesandtoavoidbeingatargetoftheBSA.Forexample,companiescanadopt
bestpracticesinSoftwareAssetManagement(alsoknownas”SAM”),or,atthe
veryleast,carryoutregularinternalaudits.Suchanauditcaninclude:(i)an
inventoryofinstalledsoftware(softwaretoolstocarryoutsuchataskdoexist);(ii)
aninventoryofacquiredlicences(takingintoaccountthenumberandtypesof
authorizedinstallationsandversionsofthesoftwareused);(iii)acomparison
betweenthetrackedsoftwareandtheacquiredlicences;and(iv)aconformance
activityconsistingineitherdeletingnon-licensedsoftwareorpurchasingmissing
licences,asappropriate.Thisprocessshouldberepeatedregularly.

Inadditiontotheabove-mentionedauditingmeasures,certainpracticescan
facilitateverification,including:(i)centralizingpurchasesofsoftware;(ii)
documentingpurchasesbykeepingtheproofofpurchaseoflicences;and(iii)
registeringthelicenceswiththeappropriatesoftwarecompanies.Itisalsoagood
practicetoensurethat,whenpurchasingcomputerhardwaresoldwithpreinstalled
software,theinvoicespecifieswhatsoftwareisincluded.Finally,companiesshould

©CIPS,2010.*WithROBIC,LLPamultidisciplinaryfirmofLawyers,andPatentandTrade-markAgents.Published
intheSpring2010Newsletterofthefirm(Vol.14,No.1).Publication068.118E.

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developandmaintainapolicyforsoftwareinstallationanduseapplicabletoall
employeesofthecompany.
WhenacompanyhasbeendenouncedandtheBSAintervenes,itisimportantto
keepinmindthefollowing.Acompanyshouldhaveasmuchinformationaspossible
surroundingtheuseofthesoftwareinquestionasofthedateoftheBSAnoticeof
non-complianceinordertoreducetheriskofsubsequentcontradictions.More
informationshouldbeobtainedwithrespecttotheevidencetheBSAhasandwhich
justifiesitsintervention.Ifthereisasignificantdifferencebetweentheactual
situationandthatperceivedbytheBSA,thiscanbearguedinfavourofareduction
intheamountclaimedbytheBSA.EveryallegationoftheBSAshouldbeverifiedin
ordertoensurethattheallegedillegalbehaviourisrelatedtohardwareownedby
thecompany,asopposedto,forexample,personalhardwareusedbyemployeesor
management.Ifthesoftwarewasinstalledwithouttheknowledgeofcompany
managementorifthesoftwarewasinstalledandusedoutsidethescopeofthe
employee’sfunctions,thiscanbeconsideredwhendeterminingliability.

Furthermoreintheeventthataparticularsituationresultsinjudicialproceedings
orsettlementdiscussions,itisimportanttonotethattheBSAisnottheofficialowner
ofthecopyrightinthesoftwareofthecompaniesitrepresents.

Legalcounselexperiencedinsuchmatters,ifnotifiedearlyintheprocess,canhelp
inresolvingtheissuemorefavourablyforthetargetedcompany

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