Business Software Alliance Criticized for Aggressive Tactics

The Business Software Alliance (BSA) has come under fire recently for its tactics in enforcing the software licenses of its members. The most recent criticism was triggered by an analysis by The Associated Press and stems from a BSA practice of targeting small businesses alleged to be using unlicensed software, and making threats of large fines in order to encourage settlement payments. Many small businesses claim they are cannot defend themselves properly because they have kept inadequate records and because of the prospect of high legal costs. In one instance, reports The Associated Press, a small business owner settled, and then a flyer was distributed to other businesses in the area warning other small businesses to avoid such a result and offering a discount on licensed software. The small business owner has since switched to open source software. Another criticism is that multiple software licenses may be difficult to understand and manage for small business owners. One way that small business owners can take an element of control is to audit their software using one of the free software tools available online from the BSA web site. After an audit that turns up unlicensed software, however, the BSA is reported to often demand at least twice the unbundled retail price of a license from the business. For an extended news report on the Associated Press analysis, see: http://tinyurl.com/24qwen; and For the BSA site, visit: http://tinyurl.com/28qcfm; and For a link to the BSA-sponsored free audit tool, visit: http://tinyurl.com/2h56nx Summary by: James Kosa