BSA gives education consultancy £80,000 lesson

Quacquarelli Symonds has been fined for using unlicensed Microsoft and Adobe software

The Business Software Alliance (BSA) has fined higher education consultancy Quacquarelli Symonds £40,000 for using unlicensed Microsoft and Adobe software.

As well as the £40,000 settlement fee, the London-based firm has had to pay a further £40,000 in corrective software purchases, including 100 copies of Microsoft Office 2010.

Michala Wardell, chair of the anti-piracy body's UK committee, said the case should serve as a warning to UK plc about the importance of employing a proper software asset management strategy.

She said: "In order to stay legal, we urge all companies to prioritise their software management. Knowing what software they have and where it is deployed means companies can use it more efficiently and perhaps even save money by avoiding having more licences than needed."

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