Australian businesses have been caught using $200,000 worth of unlicensed software so far this year, according to industry advocate BSA. The value of software found being used illegally is growing, according to the body, which in 2015 actioned proceedings for illegal software use with an estimated value of $311,500. The BSA said the building and manufacturing sectors accounted for most of the settlements this year, closely followed by the construction, property and design industries. In the majority of cases the body was tipped off by ex-employees blowing the whistle on their former employers. “The value of illegal software use in 2016 is tracking higher than it was in 2015, to-date,” said Tarun Sawney, BSA senior director Asia-Pacific. “While ex-employees are continuing to report employers for unlicensed use of software, growing discussions around the importance of data protection, cybercrime loss and significant business reputation damage could be influencing individuals to report.” In the most recent case, BSA settled with a NSW exhibition stand designer and builder, for the illegal use of software programs Microsoft Office, Autodesk 3ds Max and Adobe Creative Cloud to the value of $50,000. Other settlements made over the last 12 months include Gastech – $50,000, Offsite – $30,000, Paramount Caravans – $10,000 and a West Australian metalwork company which settled with the BSA to the tune of $100,000. Each business caught using unlicensed software was required to purchase genuine software licenses, in addition to paying copyright infringement damage penalties. “This year’s results to-date are proof that Australians are still willing to take action against illegal activity,” said Sawney. BSA offers up to $20,000 to anyone disclosing accurate information regarding unlawful copying or use of BSA members’ software. The body recommends businesses have a ‘sound Software Asset Management program with regular IT audits’ to avoid action against them. Related content BrandPost The future of trust—no more playing catch up Broadcom: 2023 Tech Trends That Transform IT By Eric Chien, Director of Security Response, Symantec Enterprise Division, Broadcom Mar 31, 2023 5 mins Security BrandPost TCS gives Blackhawk Network an edge with Microsoft Cloud In this case study, Blackhawk Network’s Cara Renfroe joins Tata Consultancy Services’ Rakesh Kumar and Microsoft’s Nilendu Pattanaik to explain how TCS transformed the gift card company’s customer engagement and global operati By Tata Consultancy Services Mar 31, 2023 1 min Financial Services Industry Cloud Computing IT Leadership BrandPost How TCS pioneered the ‘borderless workspace’ with Microsoft 365 Microsoft’s modern workplace solution proved a perfect fit for improving productivity and collaboration, while maintaining security of systems and data. By Tata Consultancy Services Mar 31, 2023 1 min Financial Services Industry Microsoft Cloud Computing BrandPost Supply chain decarbonization: The missing link to net zero By improving the quality of global supply chain data, enterprises can better measure their true carbon footprint and make progress toward a net-zero business ecosystem. By Tata Consultancy Services Mar 31, 2023 2 mins Retail Industry Supply Chain Green IT Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe