£10,000 reward for information on use of pirate software

According to the BSA, personal grudges and a feeling of responsibility have to date been the two main motivators for people to call its confidential hotline. The majority of callers are ex-employees from IT-related jobs. The second largest employee group to call the hotline is from the design industry.

Mike Newton, campaign manager for BSA UK said, “The problem begins when companies set the priority for software management and auditing very low. This is unacceptable as it not only hurts the software industry but also loses the country legitimate jobs and tax revenues. It is the responsibility of company owners and directors who are liable for unlimited fines and prison sentences of up to two years when their organisation is caught using illegal software.”

According to the organisation, over one in four pieces of software used in the UK is used illegally. The illegal copying and distribution of software in the UK generated losses of £457 million in 1999 - a rise of £142 million from 1998.

The BSA’s confidential hotline can be reached on 0800 510 510.

Its web site is at www.bsa.org/uk

According to a report in Computer Weekly, UK police and trading standards officers are investigating complaints that pirated software estimated to be worth millions of pounds is being sold on internet auction sites such as QXL.com.

Some auctions offer up to 2,000 business software packages in a single lot. Small businesses have complained that the auction sites should take more responsibility for the sales they host. This view is supported by the BSA which estimates that up to 80% of software sold on internet auctions could be pirated. It is developing guidelines for auction sites to help identify customers who might be software pirates.

According to Computer Weekly, QXL has said it shuts down pirate software auctions as soon as they are discovered.