When you go to the homepage of the Business Software Alliance, you see this:

When you click on that button, you see a system whereby you can “rat out” an employer using pirated software and do so anonymously. Now, a one million dollar payday would, of course, be limited to people who expose a really big case. But, a recent news release by BSA says they are expanding that program and that they have awarded $58,000 to 14 people who provided credible reports of piracy.

As a small business owner, I used to get mail threats from these people several years ago. Even though I use all licensed software, it is still a bit of a punch in the nuts to get that kind of threat. The campaign they put on is specifically designed to scare the crap out of you.

The BSA also likes to target small businesses. They say it is because small business are most likely to use pirated software. That is likely true. At the same time, however, small businesses are also more likely to fold and settle. They respond to bullying much easier because they cannot afford the legal fight. It makes for an easier target.

If you think the RIAA is annoying and that the music industry is going after its customers, the BSA makes the RIAA look like a cakewalk.

Check out this slideshow at Baseline which outlines 12 companies that were nabbed by BSA.

How To Avoid It

Obviously, your best bet is to avoid the fight in the first place. How? Use licensed software and be able to prove it.

1. Save your receipts. When you buy software, keep the receipt. If the receipt was emailed, print it and file it away.
2. Do a Software Audit. Businesses should be aware of all the software running on it’s computers and be able to correlate any installation to a specific serial number.
3. Use a Software Monitoring Tool. If you have others on your business network using computers, it might be a good idea to have some monitoring in place to see what people are installing. Spiceworks is one such application.
4. Have a Clear Policy. You should have a policy in place for your employees about the use of unlicensed software. The policy should, of course, forbid it’s use as well as provide policy on how to go about submitting a request to purchase software.
5. Don’t Buy From Shady Suppliers. Don’t buy your software from some unknown supplier in China and expect it to be valid. It probably won’t be. Also, be wary of buying software on Ebay. Pay close attention to the license information.

How To Get Legal Once The Deed Is Done

If your business already has unlicensed software in use, you need to rectify it. Obviously, this entails uninstalling all illegal software and purchasing licenses to the software you need. Even if the software is rarely or never used, if it is installed to your computer and it is unlicensed, you should remove it.

Buying licenses to all the software you need might be expensive, especially if you’ve been particularly wonton about your use of licensed software in the past. Some advice:

1. Go open source. Many times, there are free ways to get the same job done. For instance, if you are running an unlicensed version of Microsoft Office, you can remove it and go to OpenOffice instead. It works with Office document formats and is free.
2. Consider old versions. Many times, you can buy older versions of software at a much cheaper price. And often the old version would work just fine.

It Just Makes Sense

I know there are a lot of people out there who use unlicensed software. The temptation to use something for free is attractive. I’ve been using computers for years, and yes, I have used unlicensed software. But, some time ago I made the expressed decision to stop doing that. I slowly but surely purchased licenses to everything. Today, I am on the Mac which is a completely different platform. I do not have a single unlicensed application on this machine. I either use free software, pony up when needed, or don’t use it.

As a business owner, it just makes sense to force such a policy. You cannot have people using company equipment with illegal software on it. The potential drawbacks to that can be huge, and you have groups like BSA out there to ensure that they are.

Not to mention that, if you’re in business, you want to make money. You probably wouldn’t want other people being able to use your product without paying for it, right? So, why try to make money for yourself while simultaneously stealing from the companies which make the software you use?

Makes no sense.