David G. Bates, a corporate law attorney in Gunster's West Palm Beach office, writes about what a company may expect in the event of a crackdown on unlicensed software in the workplace.
Unlicensed software use constitutes copyright infringement and can lead to financial penalties for companies found to have willfully engaged in the practice.
In his article, Bates explains that such crackdowns happen all the time, to businesses of all sizes. Tip offs from former employees are the usual instigating action, resulting in a letter to the business from the Business Software Alliance, a trade group representing the big software companies.
Notably, business owners will not be able to purchase any license shortfalls after an investigation has begun, Bates says.
Read the entire article: How to protect your company from an unlicensed-software crackdown (9/21/17, The Business Journals)
Read a related article by Gunster corporate law attorney Robert C. White: How to avoid the high cost of a software licensing audit at your company (7/25/16, Gunster.com blog)