Ex-official sets up ISC to usurp Fast

A former official from the Federation Against Software Theft (Fast) has set up an alternative compliance organisation, the Initiative for Software Compliance (ISC).

The ISC launched its confidential auditing and advice service last week, aiming to take a gentler approach than the enforcement agencies Fast and the British Software Alliance (BSA).

Roger Woods, an ISC director, said: 'We support what the BSA stands for, but it is taking advantage of the law and corporate organisations don't know how to protect themselves.'

The BSA ran into criticism last year for a campaign warning small businesses of the penalties of running unlicensed software (PC Dealer, 22 October 1997).

The ISC claimed that although company directors are generally aware of their personal liability for corporate legal breaches, they are often unaware that this includes accidental and malicious breaches of the software licensing laws.

Awareness of compliance issues has increased following campaigns from the BSA, but the ISC believes a non-confrontational approach would yield better results.

The organisation is headed by Michael Ludlam, former deputy chairman of Fast, its partners including compliance consultancy SGS Yarsley International, legal firms Baker McKenzie, Pinset Curtis and Tucker Turner Kingsley Wood, and consultancy firm Coopers & Lybrand.

Ludlam said: 'Our continuous compliance programme will be a defence against legal actions from software developers and the industry's enforcement agencies, but will also put managers back in control.'

Although the ISC is a not-for-profit organisation, members pay an annual subscription fee covering a software audit, which is carried out by SGS, a DTI-approved compliance examiner.

The ISC has outlined written compliance standards for members to use as guidelines.