Fast cracks down on resellers

Economic slowdown blamed for online pirated software increase

The Federation Against Software Theft (Fast) said last week it is targeting resellers that are selling pirated software over the Web during the current economic slowdown.

Fast representative Peter Brennan said that in the current tough market conditions resellers might be tempted to sell pirated software.

"After the recession of the early 1990s, we know that during hard times some resellers are tempted to sell more copies of software than they are entitled to," he said.

He confirmed that Fast is now targeting resellers that are selling extra copies of software over the Web. "It's quite easy for resellers to sell pirated copies of software because of the agreements they have with vendors, which often allow them to make copies," added Brennan.

Ian Kilpatrick, group managing director at distributor Wick Hill said: "We are seeing more under-licensing, which is very difficult to police. The fact that they (Fast) are addressing piracy on the Web is admirable."