The House of Fraser department store has paid an undisclosed sum to
the Business Software Alliance to avoid being taken to court for
its use of unlicensed software.
Euro Car Parts, a retailer and distributor of car parts, and
Prominent Pages, an internet media company, have paid £7,500 and
£20,000 respectively for use of unlicensed software.
In Ireland, the software organisation last week announced court
proceedings against five companies for “inadequate” software
licensing. The companies are Horan Keogan and Ryan Architects,
Jefferson Computer, Xsil Limited, Plaut IT Services Limited and GM
Steel Fabricators Limited.
Julian McMenamin, Chair of BSA Ireland, said:
"Despite new Irish copyright legislation
enacted in January 2001, Irish companies continue to deliberately
flout the law. The BSA is serious about protecting the copyright of
its members' products and we are calling on all businesses to
examine their software management policies. If they don't, they
could face severe penalties."
The BSA financially rewards whistle-blowers who provide leads on
companies suspected of using software illegally. Last year, it
received more than 1,200 such leads.
