Business Software Alliance

The Business Software Alliance is a trade group representing a number of the world's largest software makers. It is funded through membership dues based on member company's software revenues and though settlements from companies it successfully brings action against.

Its principal activity is fighting unauthorized copying of software -- a crime it claims costs the software industry over $11 billion each year. The BSA employs a team of over 100 lawyers and investigators which it uses to prosecute "thousands of cases a year" in conjunction with local law enforcement. The majority of these cases are reported either through one of its 65 piracy hotlines or in online report form. When the BSA finds cases of software piracy, it assesses heavy monetary penalties. Some companies have changed to free software after having had do pay this high fines, to avoid this problem in the future.

The BSA has been criticised for its aggressive tactics in forcing small businesses to allow BSA members onto their premises for audits and for its presumption of guilt until an audit proves one innocent. Among the more provocative approaches the BSA has taken is the Bust Your Boss! campaign which has appeared in print, email, online, and billboards:

 Bust Your Boss!

 Is your current or former employer using pirated software
 in their office? Hit em where it really hurts   report their
 illegal software use today. 

Members

• Adobe Systems
• Apple Computer
• Autodesk
• Avid
• Bentley Systems
• Borland
• Cisco Systems
• CNC Software/Mastercam
• Entrust Software
• HP
• IBM
• Intel
• Internet Security Systems
• Intuit
• Macromedia
• Microsoft
• Network Associates
• Novell
• PeopleSoft
• SeeBeyond Technology[?]
• Sybase
• Symantec[?]

External link

• http://www.bsa.org
• http://www.infoanarchy.org/wiki/wiki.pl?BSA
• Mother Jones article (http://www.motherjones.com/mother_jones/JF98/burstein)