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RSS feedsAnti-software piracy body the Business Software Alliance (BSA) is preparing an onslaught against local government, a sector it claims is the "worst offender" for using counterfeit and unlicensed software.
The BSA, backed by companies including Microsoft, Adobe, Symantec and Corel, said it will blitz local government in an attempt to resolve the situation. The BSA also wants local government to vet suppliers and contractors in an attempt to prevent it dealing with those who knowingly use counterfeit or unlicensed software.
This form of piracy cost software companies £457m last year in the UK alone, claims the BSA, and Mike Newton, campaigns relation manager, has accused the local government sector of being highly vulnerable to such infringements.
"With budget restrictions, local authorities tend to go for the cheapest option when it comes to installing software," said Newton. "The problem is compounded by the fact that because of the way budgets operate, the money is not always there to rectify the problem when it's discovered."
However, a list of BSA enforcements dating back to November last year reveals no cases involving local authorities.
Members of the Society for IT Managers (Socitm), which represents local government IT staff, were "flabbergasted" by the claims. "I'm just absolutely astounded to hear that is what the BSA is actually saying," said John Serle, a spokesman for Socitm.
Socitm member Terry Street said he was puzzled by the claims. "There is often pressure and limited funding, but doesn't that apply to the private sector as well? I don't see any reason why local government is more likely to cut corners than anybody else. In terms of procurement and auditing it's not as if it is an unregulated and amateur sector. In fact, it is often strangled by red tape and bureaucracy."
Socitm's 1999/2000 survey of IT trends estimates total local government IT expenditure to be £1.4bn. Of this, packaged software accounts for nearly £1.7m, or 12 per cent.
First published in Computing.
