Software piracy issues

We've made it policy that installing software, without permission from
management, is grounds for termination.

A while back we had an instance where a solidworks add-in was downloaded to
assist a particular design task. When the parts hit the floor and were
found to be incompatible with the machine, it was realized that the
orientation of the drawings had been inverted, and the solidworks add-in was
found to be the culprit.

Nowadays, software remains in locked cabinets, and requests for new software
go through the IT department, or up the management tree. Downloading of
programs off the internet is strictly prohibited outside the IT department.
But as my boss says, if its something we actually need then we'll just plain
buy it.

-----Original Message-----
From: John Sage [mailto:jsage@...]
Sent: Tuesday, May 07, 2002 12:23 PM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Vantage] Software piracy issues


Todd,

BSA's tactics do seem a bit frightening. FWIW, we had to audit our
MS Open License software in January, but Microsoft was very eager to
assist and made it as pain-free as possible for us. However I've
read recently that BSA has also begun targeting shareware "abuse",
so we've audited that and will be purchasing site licenses for
the more common utilities. Engineering software is a whole 'nother
matter. Stemming the tide of hacked 3D packages and "student copies"
finding their way into our facilities is getting to be a burden.
We've adjusted our AUP to make installing such software grounds for
immediate termination - some engineers just will not listen. The
stupid thing is that we will buy what they need.

have fun,
john



-----Original Message-----
From: Todd Anderson [mailto:tanderson@...]
Sent: Tuesday, May 07, 2002 11:20 AM
To: 'vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: RE: [Vantage] Software piracy issues





























Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
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Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
I received the following email from a Autocad dealer in the Milwaukee WI
area today. ( I blocked out the company name and info ... )

Let's just say that prior to receiving this email the company involved was
high on my list of preferred vendors for AutoCad software ... they no longer
are ...

Todd Anderson

====================================================================

Mr. Todd Anderson
J Rubin & Company

Dear Mr. Todd Anderson:

XXX-Corp would like to help you understand software piracy issues.
Business Software Alliance (BSA), a Washington-based trade association of
major software developers including Microsoft, Autodesk, Adobe, Symantec
and others, is offering a grace period for reporting software piracy
problems from May 1 - May 31. Any Milwaukee area company that admits to
illegal copying of software during this time and pays the appropriate fees
will be freed from further penalties, which can be as high as $150,000.

XXX-Corp can assist with certified "Audit Tools" to help determine
whether your company has unlicensed software. If you find that you have
unlicensed Autodesk software we can help with our new licensing program. If
you need to upgrade/add additional licenses we will include our E-Learning
modules for "Getting up to Speed with AutoCAD 2002" with all software
purchased during this period.

Don't wait and see if BSA calls your company in June, give us a call at 800
444-4444; ask for John Doe who can assist you with your software
licensing issues.


Sincerely,

John Doe
Vice President
XXX-Corp, Inc
Todd,

Software audits are a necessary function of IT. We regularly audit
all of our PCs to ensure compliance. While the wording of the letter
you received appears heavy-handed, I would attribute that to lack of
communication skills <g>. In any case it is far less expensive to
be in compliance with your license agreements than it is to pay
penalties for non-compliance.

$.02


john





-----Original Message-----
From: Todd Anderson [mailto:tanderson@...]
Sent: Tuesday, May 07, 2002 9:12 AM
To: 'vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: [Vantage] Software piracy issues
John,

Trust me, I agree with you. I have a file cabinet full of documentation in
3-part harmony ( po + packing slips + invoices ) to show that we have legal
licenses for all software.

I find BSA's and MS's "Heavy Handed" emails and letters highly annoying.

That a small, regional, reseller of AutoCAD software would use the
opportunity to threaten us with an implied audit was just plain stupid.
Could the letter have been worded better? Absolutely. They could have
simply said "BSA in the neighborhood - if you would like help making sure
you have all of the necessary documentation to survive a possible audit we
would be happy to help" ...

Todd

-----Original Message-----
From: John Sage [mailto:jsage@...]
Sent: Tuesday, May 07, 2002 12:17 PM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Vantage] Software piracy issues


Todd,

Software audits are a necessary function of IT. We regularly audit
all of our PCs to ensure compliance. While the wording of the letter
you received appears heavy-handed, I would attribute that to lack of
communication skills <g>. In any case it is far less expensive to
be in compliance with your license agreements than it is to pay
penalties for non-compliance.

$.02


john





-----Original Message-----
From: Todd Anderson [mailto:tanderson@...]
Sent: Tuesday, May 07, 2002 9:12 AM
To: 'vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: [Vantage] Software piracy issues























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Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
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Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
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<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.>
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Why is it that whenever "THOSE GUYS" are around I get this Joe
McCarthy/Jay Edgar Hoover feeling.

Shirley

-----Original Message-----
From: Todd Anderson [mailto:tanderson@...]
Sent: Tuesday, May 07, 2002 2:20 PM
To: 'vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: RE: [Vantage] Software piracy issues


John,

Trust me, I agree with you. I have a file cabinet full of documentation
in
3-part harmony ( po + packing slips + invoices ) to show that we have
legal
licenses for all software.

I find BSA's and MS's "Heavy Handed" emails and letters highly annoying.

That a small, regional, reseller of AutoCAD software would use the
opportunity to threaten us with an implied audit was just plain stupid.
Could the letter have been worded better? Absolutely. They could have
simply said "BSA in the neighborhood - if you would like help making sure
you have all of the necessary documentation to survive a possible audit we
would be happy to help" ...

Todd

-----Original Message-----
From: John Sage [mailto:jsage@...]
Sent: Tuesday, May 07, 2002 12:17 PM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Vantage] Software piracy issues


Todd,

Software audits are a necessary function of IT. We regularly audit
all of our PCs to ensure compliance. While the wording of the letter
you received appears heavy-handed, I would attribute that to lack of
communication skills <g>. In any case it is far less expensive to
be in compliance with your license agreements than it is to pay
penalties for non-compliance.

$.02


john





-----Original Message-----
From: Todd Anderson [mailto:tanderson@...]
Sent: Tuesday, May 07, 2002 9:12 AM
To: 'vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: [Vantage] Software piracy issues























Yahoo! Groups Sponsor

ADVERTISEMENT


<http://rd.yahoo.com/M=226014.2032696.3508022.1829184/D=egroupweb/S=17050071

83:HM/A=1000239/R=0/*http://ads.x10.com/?bHlhaG9vaG0xLmRhd=1020791853%3eM=22
6014.2032696.3508022.1829184/D=egroupweb/S=1705007183:HM/A=1000239/R=1>



<http://us.adserver.yahoo.com/l?M=226014.2032696.3508022.1829184/D=egroupmai
l/S=1705007183:HM/A=1000239/rand=474187033>

Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must
have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.>
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages>
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links>

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service
<http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]


Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
ADVERTISEMENT




Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must
have already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
I recently had a run in with Network Associates.

We are required to run PGP from N.A. to decrypt files from Boeing. We
recently had to upgrade to the latest version of PGP. We purchased it from
a well known 3rd party software dealer. The license type is Perpetual which
means it never expires.

Friday I got a call from a sales rep at N.A. who militantly told me that if
I didn't renew the version of PGP we had before the upgrade (which has been
uninstalled long ago) that he would turn our company over to his legal
department for software piracy. He demanded that I make my decision on the
spot.

After a lengthy confrontation, he told me that my company president and
myself had to sign an agreement that said we would uninstall the software
and report any use of it directly to N.A. immediately.

This is on going but I left a message with the President of his division
about what had happened and the President of my company send a nasty-gram to
the president of N.A.

All of this over 1 license priced at $120.00.

Jeremy

-----Original Message-----
From: Todd Anderson [mailto:tanderson@...]
Sent: Tuesday, May 07, 2002 11:12 AM
To: 'vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: [Vantage] Software piracy issues


I received the following email from a Autocad dealer in the Milwaukee WI
area today. ( I blocked out the company name and info ... )

Let's just say that prior to receiving this email the company involved was
high on my list of preferred vendors for AutoCad software ... they no longer
are ...

Todd Anderson

====================================================================

Mr. Todd Anderson
J Rubin & Company

Dear Mr. Todd Anderson:

XXX-Corp would like to help you understand software piracy issues.
Business Software Alliance (BSA), a Washington-based trade association of
major software developers including Microsoft, Autodesk, Adobe, Symantec
and others, is offering a grace period for reporting software piracy
problems from May 1 - May 31. Any Milwaukee area company that admits to
illegal copying of software during this time and pays the appropriate fees
will be freed from further penalties, which can be as high as $150,000.

XXX-Corp can assist with certified "Audit Tools" to help determine
whether your company has unlicensed software. If you find that you have
unlicensed Autodesk software we can help with our new licensing program. If
you need to upgrade/add additional licenses we will include our E-Learning
modules for "Getting up to Speed with AutoCAD 2002" with all software
purchased during this period.

Don't wait and see if BSA calls your company in June, give us a call at 800
444-4444; ask for John Doe who can assist you with your software
licensing issues.


Sincerely,

John Doe
Vice President
XXX-Corp, Inc


Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Todd,

BSA's tactics do seem a bit frightening. FWIW, we had to audit our
MS Open License software in January, but Microsoft was very eager to
assist and made it as pain-free as possible for us. However I've
read recently that BSA has also begun targeting shareware "abuse",
so we've audited that and will be purchasing site licenses for
the more common utilities. Engineering software is a whole 'nother
matter. Stemming the tide of hacked 3D packages and "student copies"
finding their way into our facilities is getting to be a burden.
We've adjusted our AUP to make installing such software grounds for
immediate termination - some engineers just will not listen. The
stupid thing is that we will buy what they need.

have fun,
john



-----Original Message-----
From: Todd Anderson [mailto:tanderson@...]
Sent: Tuesday, May 07, 2002 11:20 AM
To: 'vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: RE: [Vantage] Software piracy issues