The Recognition PR Newsroom

Illegal Use of Adobe, Microsoft and Other Products Leads to Largest Ever Settlement for Business Software Alliance

Tokyo (Thursday, July 2, 2010) – The Business Software Alliance (BSA), the global trade association representing the software industry, today announced that it had entered into a settlement agreement with a Japanese manufacturer based in Kansai for software license infringement. The settlement amount of 315,205,272 Japanese yen (circa US$3.3 million), made this the largest ever settlement agreement for BSA worldwide.

The case, which originated from a report lodged with the BSA Japan software piracy hotline, resulted in a software audit being undertaken at the premises of the company. 3,913 copies of unlicensed software, including Adobe® Illustrator®, AutoCAD®, FileMaker® Pro, and Microsoft® Office, belonging to BSA members Adobe, Autodesk, Filemaker and Microsoft, were found.

Robert Holleyman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the BSA said, “As our just released piracy rate study shows, piracy remains a critical issue around the globe. Governments must remain vigilant in enforcing IP laws, and businesses must be equally as vigilant in managing their software assets carefully and legally. I hope that this landmark case for the BSA helps remind organisations worldwide that their possible oversight, or indifference to software copyright, could lead to serious legal ramifications and financial risk.”

Chair of the BSA Japan committee, Sanae Matsuo, said, “We are disappointed to see that the world’s largest settlement for software piracy in the workplace has resulted in Japan. This settlement simply highlights the continuing need to address software piracy. Piracy prevents fair competition, and eliminating software piracy becomes even more critical in the current market climate where we are starting to see signs of economic recovery.”

“In Japan, we have invested heavily in initiatives that are designed to assist organisations to realise better returns from their investments in information technology. For example, we have launched a website known as C-SAM portal which provides software asset management (SAM) resources to private sector businesses, to assist them in their implementation of a SAM practice. In the long run, such programs will promote even greater productivity and efficiency in the private sector,” added Matsuo.

The 2009 BSA/IDC Global Piracy Rate Study was released on May 11, 2010. The study examines piracy rates in 111 countries around the globe. The study and further information on software piracy can be found here www.bsa.org/globalstudy .

About Business Software Alliance

The Business Software Alliance (www.bsa.org) is the world’s foremost advocate for the software industry, working in 80 countries to expand software markets and create conditions for innovation and growth. Governments and industry partners look to BSA for thoughtful approaches to key policy and legal issues, recognising that software plays a critical role in driving economic and social progress in all nations. BSA’s member companies invest billions of dollars a year in local economies, good jobs, and next-generation solutions that will help people around the world be more productive, connected, and secure. BSA members include Adobe, Agilent Technologies, Altium, Apple, Aquafold, ARM, Arphic Technology, Autodesk, Autoform, AVEVA, Bentley Systems, CNC/Mastercam, Corel, Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation, Frontline PCB Solutions – An Orbotech Valor Company, Microsoft, Minitab, NedGraphics, PTC, Progress Software, Quest Software, Scalable Software, Siemens, Sybase, Symantec, Tekla, and The MathWorks.