The Business Software Alliance (BSA) has reached a settlement with building services firm FSH Maintenance over alleged copyright law infringement.

Castleford-based FSH shelled out £15,000 in damages and purchasing software after it was caught using unlicensed copies of Microsoft software.

Alyna Cope, member of the BSA UK country committee, said: “This case highlights the financial repercussions of breaking copyright law. Although FSH Maintenance was co-operative throughout our investigation, it was found to have illegal software installed and was required to pay damages."

Cope said that the BSA takes its role very seriously, particularly as the current level of software piracy in the UK stands at 27 per cent, with losses to the industry last year hitting £1.49bn - its highest level ever.

“Not only do settlements like this cause significant dents in profits, illegal software use also suggests a level of negligence and corner-cutting. The abuse of intellectual property rights is a serious offence and we want to make it clear that use of unlicensed software will not be accepted,” Cope added.