Company Pays $125,000 to Settle Copyright Claim Furnitureland South Strengthens Its Software Management Program

Furniture World Magazine

The Business Software Alliance (BSA) announced today that Furnitureland South, a national leader in the retail furniture industry, has agreed to pay $125,000 to settle claims arising out of unauthorized copies of software programs found on computers at its offices. Under the terms of the settlement, the North Carolina-based company will delete any undocumented copies and strengthen its software management policies and procedures. The settlement concludes a BSA investigation in which the retailer cooperated fully. BSA originally contacted the company following a call to its anti-piracy hotline. In response, Furnitureland conducted a full self-audit of all computers on site. Upon discovering unauthorized copies of Microsoft and Lotus software programs, Furnitureland moved quickly to rectify the problem. "BSA commends Furnitureland South for its responsible handling of this matter," said Bob Kruger, BSA's Vice President of Enforcement. "Clearly, if a company like Furnitureland South can find itself in this situation, other, less well-managed firms are also at risk. We recommend that all organizations conduct periodic audits to ensure that they have an adequate number of licenses to support their software installations." "Furnitureland South has always been committed to honest business practices on all fronts," said Darrel Harris, Furnitureland South's President. "We achieved our success through dogged determination and hard work and would never intentionally seek to deprive software publishers of a return on their investment. The fact that we discovered any unlicensed software on our premises at all demonstrates how easily software can insinuate itself into an office in the absence of extensive, ll-encompassing software management practices and controls." BSA has recently stepped up its education programs and provides resource material to companies such as the BSA Guide to Software Management and SoftScan, an audit software tool. Since 1988, the Business Software Alliance (BSA) has been the voice of the world's leading software developers before governments and with consumers in the international marketplace. Its members represent the fastest growing industry in the world. BSA educates computer users on software copyrights; advocates public policy that fosters innovation and expands trade opportunities; and fights software piracy. BSA worldwide members include Adobe, Autodesk, Bentley Systems, Lotus Development, Microsoft, Novell and Symantec. BSA websites: www.bsa.org; www.nopiracy.com. For more information e:mail Michael McCabe, Jr. mmc@dittusgroup.com