If those who betray their
companies do it for moral reasons, they shouldn't take the money.
But since they took the money, they do it for money, not for moral
reasons. How moral can they be, if they do their own companies in,
the very own company that feeds them. The colleagues may also be
affected.
Snitch on companies using pirated software: Reward
$20,000
Anti-piracy body encourages more to expose their
firms
By Tham Yuen-C
SNITCHING on companies' illegal use of software can now get you
$20,000 from the Business Software Alliance (BSA), twice as much as
when the reward was first announced a few years ago.
The anti-piracy organisation is offering the reward specifically
for tip-offs about the use of unlicensed software and illegal
sharing of software programs in the workplace.
According to the BSA's director of anti-piracy in Asia, Mr Tarun
Sawney, unlicensed software and program sharing are the most common
forms of piracy and can be more damaging than counterfeiting.
A global study commissioned by the BSA estimated Singapore's
software piracy rate at 43 per cent, translating into losses of up
to $148 million a year.
Commercial software companies such as Adobe, Autodesk and Microsoft
said a 10-point drop in Singapore's piracy rate could add $2.1
billion to the economy and create 1,800 jobs.
Last year, the BSA received an average of five to 20 tip-offs a
week by phone and via its website. None of its investigations
resulted in lawsuits, however, as they were settled out of
court.
In 2001, one whistleblower was rewarded with $20,000 - double the
amount on offer then because of the magnitude of the infringement -
for exposing a company that was sharing unlicensed software on up
to 100 computers. The company eventually settled with the BSA out
of court.
According to Mr Sawney, the BSA has paid out rewards 'fairly
regularly', although he declined to say how much was given out or
how many whistleblowers were rewarded.
With the amended Copyright Act taking effect on Jan 1, Mr Sawney
said the BSA will sieve through the leads it receives and pass
'clear and serious violations of the law' to the police to
investigate and prosecute.
Under the new Act, it is a criminal offence for companies to use
unlicensed or pirated software. Directors and IT managers of errant
companies will be liable for fines of up to $20,000 and jail terms
of up to six months for first-time offences.
The BSA has been criticised in the past for offering rewards to
'squealing' employees - a measure some consider ethically
questionable.
'I've had friends who say it's tempting, but personally I feel it's
too evil,' said one sales and marketing executive in the IT
industry.
However, Mr Sawney said the BSA's focus is on educating companies
and the hotline and reward are part of its efforts to reinforce the
anti-piracy message.
He said he believes most Singapore businesses are law-abiding, but
the increased efforts are necessary to weed out the minority who
flout the law.
As part of ongoing educational efforts, the BSA has worked with the
Intellectual Property Office of Singapore and the Association of
Small and Medium Enterprises to conduct seminars to educate
companies about managing software assets.
The BSA's anti-piracy hotline is 1800-333-3999.
