BSA swoops on under-licensed plastics maker

East Yorkshire manufacturing firm ordered to pay £11,500 in settlement fees and corrective software purchases

Michala Wardell: Businesses cannot afford to take risks with unlicensed software

Anti-piracy body the Business Software Alliance (BSA) has taken action against a plastic manufacturing firm in East Yorkshire for using unlicensed Microsoft Office products.

Plas-tech Thermoforming was ordered to pay £11,500 in settlement fees and corrective software purchases.

BSA UK committee chair, Michala Wardell, said the case was a clear example of how using unlicensed software to save money is a false economy.

She said: “In the current economic climate, businesses cannot afford to take unnecessary financial risks with their software licensing, which could lead to a substantial amount of unplanned cashflow, often far exceeding the initial outlay of licensed software.”

Julian Swan, director of compliance marketing within EMEA at the BSA, added that unlicensed software is rarely supported, which can also lead to company downtime.

“[The] failure to manage software properly could expose a company to legal redress, not to mention operational failure," said Swan.