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Is Your Firm Using Pirated Software?
Recently, in selected metropolitan areas, law firms and their clients, began receiving letters from the Business Software Alliance (BSA), an industry watchdog group that cracks down on the illegal use of the world's software. The letter warned its recipients of the risks and implications of pirating software. It may have been dismissed as a veiled threat by some, while others were left scratching their heads, asking, “Can anything really happen to us from pirating software?”
The short answer is “yes” ' ranging from significant fines and penalties, to possible jail terms, for every act of piracy. Not to mention the embarrassing publicity your law firm would likely get as a result. If you are a partner, or shareholder, it is likely that these consequences will fall on you, as personal responsibility is ascribed to these acts.
Current U.S. law states that software programs may be legally installed on computers for which software licenses have been issued. To install that same program on additional computers would require purchasing additional licenses. Failure to purchase those additional licenses will result in criminal activity commonly referred to as software piracy.
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