By Tony Hallett, 24 May 2000 00:30
COMMENT No-one should be under the impression that silicon.com condones theft - but if a company neglects to pay for something because it forgot or lost track of its inventory, then that's a different matter. The Federation Against Software Theft (Fast) holds the position that ignorance is no defence in law - especially where software piracy and unlicensed software is concerned. It says even if IT directors have lost control of the software on their systems, it's still their responsibility to make sure every product has a user licence. IT directors don't agree. After all, how is a 5,000-strong multinational, operating on several different platforms, expected to audit its software constantly? One IT director recently told silicon.com the cost of auditing his systems in this way would amount to more than the cost of the licences themselves. Another IT director recalled the day he was visited by a representative from his database supplier, one of the best-known software companies. The salesman urged his customer to carry out an audit and pay for outstanding licences - or suffer the consequences. The IT director responded by highlighting how much money he had paid software vendor X over the years, how difficult an audit would be, and how he would switch to a rival if the salesman ever darkened his door again. The next day he received an apology from the UK MD. It's time software vendors accept that the user licence revenue model needs a rethink, certainly at the higher end of the market. It's close to unworkable and despite the action of Fast and others, corporates won't stand for strong-arm tactics.
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