The Business Software Alliance (BSA), officially kicked off National Cyber Security Awareness Month by announcing an extension of its $1 million rewards incentive program. BSA originally increased the reward from $200,000 to $1 million in July to run through the end of September. However, the success of the program has led BSA to extend the $1 million reward. “Blow the Whistle,” a national advertising campaign that encourages employees to report software piracy, will also continue through the remainder of the year.
As part of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, a national campaign designed by government agencies and private industry sponsors to increase the public's awareness of cyber security and cyber crime issues, BSA has also released a video to inform college students about the risks and consequences associated with unlicensed software use and participating in illegal downloading activities. The video can be seen at www.B4UCopy.com/video.html.
BSA will also continue to reach out to businesses and individuals to educate them about the risks of unlicensed software and how to ensure they are only using fully licensed software. A risk awareness guide and “10 Simple Steps,” a simple check list to help businesses protect themselves against the risks of illegal software, will be introduced this month. They will be available for free download in the Tools and Resources section on BSA’s website, www.bsa.org.
The BSA Rewards program was launched in the U.S. in the fall of 2005. The program encourages individuals with detailed information about software piracy to come forward and confidentially submit a report. Since the 2005 launch of the Rewards program, BSA has successfully settled with hundreds of companies resulting in approximately $22 million of damages paid since that time.
Individuals can learn more about the BSA Rewards program and how to submit a confidential report by visiting www.nopiracy.com or calling 1-888 NO PIRACY. Reward payments are subject to eligibility requirements, the details of which are available on the BSA website. Businesses trying to determine whether their organization is using unlicensed software can download the free software audit tools also available at www.bsa.org.
The Fight Against Software Piracy The BSA Rewards program was launched in the U.S. in the fall of 2005. The program encourages individuals with detailed information about software piracy to come forward and confidentially submit the infringement(s). Since the 2005 launch of the Rewards program, BSA has successfully settled with hundreds of companies, bringing in nearly $22 million as a result.
Global PC Software Piracy Study Worldwide, for every two dollars of software purchased legitimately, one dollar was obtained illegally. Global losses increased in 2006 by more than $5 billion (15%) over the previous year. Of the 102 countries covered in this year's study, piracy rates dropped moderately in sixty-two countries, while increasing in thirteen.
Operation Higher Education According to documents filed with the Court and statements made in court, between June 1999 and April 2004, BRYNDZA was a participant in the “warez scene,” an underground online community consisting of individuals and organized groups who engage in the large scale reproduction, modification and distribution of copyrighted software over the internet.
Software Piracy Thirty-five percent of the software installed on personal computers worldwide was pirated in 2004, a one percentage point decrease from 36 percent in 2003. Yet, losses due to piracy increased from $29 billion to $33 billion.
Operators who infected more than 15 million computers with destructive, intrusive spyware will give up $330,000 in ill-gotten gains from their venture to settle FTC charges that their scam violated federal law. The settlement will bar the defendants from downloading software onto consumers’ computers without disclosing its function and obtaining consumers’ consent prior to installation, bars them from downloading software that interferes with consumers’ computer use, and bars false or misleading claims.
Lotus Symphony has been downloaded by more than 100,000 registered business and consumer users in its first week. The Lotus Symphony Web site is (www.ibm.com/software/lotus/symphony).
The download figure is a record for IBM (NYSE: IBM) software, surpassing the previous record held by Lotus Notes. Lotus Symphony is fully integrated into Lotus Notes 8, providing users with easy access to productivity tools as part of their desktop experience -- without having to launch a separate program. Symphony desktop offerings are part of the broader technology trend of enabling faster, more automated movement of information within and between organizations using the Open Document Format. ODF makes digital information independent of the program from which it was created -- such as a word processor, spreadsheet or presentation software. This makes documents universally accessible on any platform, allowing information to be used in new, innovative ways.