War declared on software pirates

A CAMPAIGN has been launched in Warrington to educate businesses in the North West about the dangers of using unlicensed software.
Anti-piracy body, the Federation Against Software Theft (FAST) joined forces with Trading Standards and Warrington-based software publisher Certero at the launch.
The partnership has already resulted in the creation of an online booklet, containing information about software misuse, compliance issues and legislation.
FAST claims the joint campaign is the largest education initiative it has undertaken in the North West.
In Britain it is estimated that approximately 27 per cent of software in use is illegal. Reducing software piracy could create hundreds of thousands of new jobs, billions in information technology (IT) spending and economic growth, and new tax revenues to support local services.
It is not just the IT industry that loses out to software thieves, the end-user is often left in a vulnerable position with no access to technical support, no information regarding upgrades and often incomplete or virus contaminated products on their computers.
The illegal software trade is worth hundreds of millions of pounds in the domestic market alone. Unscrupulous dealers and individuals misuse their computer skills, bypassing the software security, then selling on the illegal product to others, or simply giving valuable software away on the internet.
Certero managing director John Lunt said: “Legitimate software use is a crucial element of any business enterprise. Without governance and adherence to the laws of IPR we would face a loss of wealth and originality. If these organisations around the UK were using software without a license or made unauthorised copies of license across their IT estate then this decreases the value of the software and prevents reinvestment through growth”.