[Kictanet] About the Business Software Alliance (BSA)

[Bill Kagai]

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_Software_Alliance

Overview
Robert Holleyman is its current president and CEO, the BSA employs a
team of over 100 lawyers and investigators, which it uses to prosecute
"thousands of cases a year" in conjunction with local law enforcement.
The majority of these cases are reported to BSA either through one of
its 65 piracy telephone hotlines, or through online report forms.
After receiving a tip, BSA then sends the companies a note with an
implicit threat of a forthcoming software licensing audit. If the BSA
finds cases of software piracy, it assesses heavy monetary penalties.
Some companies have switched to free software after having to pay such
large fines (see [1], paragraph 7).

BSA has not been reported to support Free Software Foundation or other
free software groups in their actions of copyright enforcement. They
do support software patents.

[edit]
Critique
BSA has been heavily criticised for its aggressive tactics in forcing
small businesses to allow BSA members onto their premises for audits,
and for its presumption of guilt until an audit proves one innocent.
It is also worthy of note that BSA is an organization founded in the
USA, and is currently without official status in most European
countries.

They're also well known for lobbying for ENISA, the European Network
and Information Security Agency, a suggested network security
establishment that would operate within EU. See [2] and [3].

According to a Mother Jones (magazine) article[4], the BSA discovered
in 1995 that Antel, the Uruguayan national telephone company, had
pirated $100,000 worth of Microsoft, Novell, and Symantec software.
The BSA's lawyers in Uruguay quickly filed suit, but dropped the suit
in 1997 when Antel signed a "special agreement" with Microsoft to
replace all of its software with Microsoft products. This has led to
accusations that the BSA is a front for Microsoft, with its other
members being enlisted purely to disguise Microsoft's dominant role.


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With Kind Regards,
Bildad Kagai
MD - Circuits & Packets Communications Ltd
Content & Training Partner - JKUAT E-Government Academy
Suite B2, Tetu Apartments, State House Avenue
P. O. Box 20311 - 00200
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel. 254 20 2728332
Fax. 254 20 2726965
Cell. 254 722 379409
URL. www.circuitspackets.co.ke
URL. egov.jkuat.ac.ke