BSA fines East Yorkshire firm for using unlicensed software

Plas-tech Thermoforming Limited ordered to pay £11,500 for use of unlicensed Microsoft Office

The BSA has settled with another firm using unlicensed software

Plas-tech Thermoforming Limited, an East Yorkshire plastic component manufacturing firm, has been ordered to pay £11,500 by the Business Software Alliance (BSA) for using unlicensed Microsoft Office software.

The fine includes settlement fees and the cost of purchasing the software licenses required for legal compliance.

Although Plas-tech co-operated fully with the BSA, the body warned that the case is further evidence that companies that do not effectively manage their IT could come under scrutiny.

Michala Wardell, chair of the BSA UK Committee, said: “Disregarding intellectual property laws and using unlicensed software to save money in the short term will always lead to more harm than good.

“In the current economic climate, businesses cannot afford to take unnecessary financial risks with their software licensing because this can lead to a substantial amount of unplanned costs affecting cash flow, often far exceeding the initial outlay of licensed software.”

Julian Swan, EMEA director of compliance marketing at the BSA, said: “Mistakes occur when a company’s management perceive software licensing as an IT problem, without recognising that failure to manage software properly could expose their company to legal redress, not to mention operational failure.”