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| [April 17, 2006] |
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Scott & Scott Cautions Companies Purchasing Software: Avoid Temptation To Purchase Deeply Discounted Software From eBay
DALLAS --(Business Wire)-- April 17, 2006 -- Small to Medium Sized Businesses Particularly Susceptible to Copyright Infringement Claims, Resulting In Fines from Business Software Alliance (BSA) and Software Information Industry Association (SIIA)
Scott & Scott, LLP, (www.scottandscottllp.com) a prominent software audit defense firm, is cautioning small to medium sized businesses to avoid purchasing deeply discounted software from eBay and other high risk vendors. In response to Microsoft's lawsuit of eight eBay sellers, accusing them of distributing counterfeit versions of its software, Scott & Scott seeks to remind business owners that the purchase of illegitimate software leaves them susceptible to significant fines in the event that the BSA or SIIA conduct software audit.
When companies purchase illegitimate software, they often end up spending significantly more than if they had procured the titles through a reputable discount provider, whose documentation can withstand audit scrutiny. In software audits, deeply discounted eBay invoices are routinely rejected by the Business Software Alliance and the SIIA. Businesses frequently end up losing the money they spent for these products, need to purchase the titles again, and still face significant fines.
"The true victims of software counterfeiting are end-users, who unknowingly purchase discounted versions of software titles they believe to be legitimate," said Robert Scott, Partner, Scott & Scott, LLP. "Unfortunately for these businesses, when the BSA, SIIA or software publishers come knocking on their doors with the threat of a software audit, having purchased the titles in good faith will not provide a viable defense to a copyright infringement claim, leaving them susceptible to fines, frequently exceeding $100,000."
Scott & Scott also points out that small to medium sized companies are most frequently the target of BSA and SIIA software audits. Large enterprises are infrequently audited by these industry trade groups, and are more often than not, targeted directly by software publishers themselves.
About Scott & Scott, LLP
Scott & Scott (www.scottandscottllp.com, www.bsadefense.com, www.siiadefense.com) is a leading law and technology services firm dedicated to helping senior executives assess and reduce the legal, financial, and regulatory risks associated with software compliance. Scott & Scott's legal and technology professionals provide software audit defense and software compliance solutions, all protected by attorney-client and work-product privileges. Software license compliance is an inter-departmental issue, impacting legal, finance, IT, and HR. Scott & Scott's team wins the confidence of executives across the enterprise enabling a collaborative approach to achieving and managing compliance. The firm is managed by Rob Scott, who is a pioneer in the software license compliance field and regularly conducts seminars entitled, "Successfully Defending Software Audits" and "Software Asset Management & The Law."
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