According to the 2011 Business Software Alliance (“BSA”) Global Software Piracy Study, the commercial value of software theft grew to $63.4 billion in 2011. As such, the BSA has continued to hunt down businesses accused of software piracy and has focused its sights on what the Business Software Alliance believes are the cities with the most software piracy.
New York – #1: According to WCAX, the Business Software Alliance has targeted New York City in an attempt to convince disgruntled employees to turn their current or former employers in for software license mismanagement. With a wide array of businesses with diverse software needs, it is no wonder the BSA has made New York its most heavily advertised area.
Los Angeles – #2: PRWeb has reported that Los Angeles is the second most highly-targeted market for a recent barrage of BSA radio campaigns. As the city with the third highest GDP in the world, Los Angeles is a major California economic powerhouse.
Houston – #4: JD Supra Law News lists Houston, Texas as the fourth largest target area being bombarded with advertisements from the Business Software Alliance and its members such as Adobe, Apple, Autodesk, IBM, Intel, McAfee, Microsoft, and Symantec. Houston is a hotbed for energy and medical industries, which rely on various types of software for their businesses.
Chicago – #5: Chicago comes in at number five on the BSA’s priority list, according to a recent article on PRWeb. The BSA is airing radio advertisements inducing current or former employees to turn their employers in for alleged acts of software piracy. These accusations can be especially costly for small and medium-sized businesses, which are specifically targeted by both the Business Software Alliance and the Software & Information Industry Association (“SIIA”).
Omaha – #8 –PRWeb also reports that Omaha, Nebraska is the eight most target area in the United States for the recent BSA ad campaign. With a significant number of small to medium businesses, specifically insurance companies, Omaha is a potential hotbed of “non-compliant” businesses that could fall prey to the BSA as it uses potential cash incentives to induce disgruntled employees into blowing the whistle. As the largest city in Nebraska, Omaha represents a prime opportunity for the BSA’s business efforts.
Providence – Top 10: Another PRWeb report lists Providence, Rhode Island in the top ten for the BSA’s advertising blitz. As part of the greater Boston commuting area, Providence has a population of over 1.6 million people and has dubbed itself the “Creative Capital” since 2009. With several members of the BSA like Adobe selling creative software suites, it is easy to see why the BSA would be interested in extracting money from a place like Providence, Rhode Island.
Seattle – Top 10: WAFF 48 News reports Seattle, Washington is also on the top ten list. The BSA has been playing frequent radio ads there in order to single out small and medium sized businesses that may have unlicensed software. Seattle is near Redmond, Washington, which is where Microsoft is headquartered. With Microsoft as the most prominent member of the Business Software Alliance, the BSA is hitting close to home with this campaign.
If your company is based in one of these cities, don’t be surprised if you receive a letter from the BSA alleging copyright infringement and asking you to conduct an audit of your software licenses. Before responding, consider seeking expert legal advice. Dorman Bell is a business and technology focused law firm based in Dallas, Texas and has a dedicated section to defend organizations against software license audits from software publishers and their trade organizations, such as the Business Software Alliance and Software and Information Industry Association. For more information, call us at (214) 736-718 or visit our contact page and we will get back with you as soon as possible. We look forward to serving you!!!