A record £1.4m was recovered by anti-piracy enforcement
body, the Federation Against Software Theft on behalf of UK
software firms last month.
The figure – the highest ever for a single month – brings the
federation’s total to £7.3m over the past six years. The
federation, which represents 160 members from across the software
industry, urged “a strong stance in every country” against software
piracy.
Director general John Lovelock said, “The record amount already
recovered this year is symptomatic of the ongoing battle we face,
one that is not going away no matter what level of education we
undertake, and despite the legal ramifications of illegal software
use.”
But he added that the federation was “increasingly seeing”
businesses taking action “to put their software assets in
order”.
This was “an integral part of the growth in awareness of
corporate governance and the impact of compliance within both the
public and private sectors”, he said.
Increasing concern against piracy and illegal dealing has also
seen major software firms cracking down. Last month Microsoft filed
26 separate US lawsuits targeting firms believed to have
pirated software or to have been involved in “hard-disc loading” –
installing unlicensed software on computers they sell.
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