7 ms·

Where in Eastern Europe? Pretty sure in Romania police have better things to do than raid you for using pirated software at work.

sircastor 3y ago
There is nowhere in the world that police don’t have better things to do than to raid a shop using pirated software.
- blincoln 3y ago
  The more likely scenario, at least in the US, is that if your business is already using some legit licensed software from the same publisher, the publisher invokes a contractual right to audit licenses at your business. They find a bunch of unlicensed copies, and send you a huge bill. No police, just a civil matter, but potentially very expensive for the business. When I still did systems engineering work (2001-2011), I personally saw Microsoft conduct a license audit. No one in the organization was using pirated software, but we still got a big bill because the reseller we bought licenses from misrepresented what some of those licenses covered. In that case, MS was willing to chalk it up to an honest mistake as long as we uninstalled the software from the systems that the licenses didn't cover. I doubt they'd have been willing to do that if we'd been running actual cracked versions of their products.
  - zirgs 3y ago
    The BSA runs a "snitch" program that disgruntled employees and competitors can use to report pirated software. This is how many businesses get raided. The person that I know also suspects that his company got raided because someone reported them.
zirgs 3y ago
The BSA has been active here for more than 2 decades now. And they cooperate with local law enforcement. Pirated software can easily cost tens of thousands of dollars - so the cops simply can't ignore financial crimes this big. I've also heard that they ignore stuff like music and movies on those PCs, because it's too much work to prove whether they are legal or not, and they cost peanuts compared to stuff like AutoCAD licences. But with software - you only have to ask the accounting department for receipts.
- ChuckNorris89 3y ago
  Should I, or anyone here, know what the BSA acronym is? Or am I the only one?
  - defrost 3y ago
    Birmingham Small Arms company!! Fantastic motorcycles .. and other goods. Or, more likely, this Business Software Alliance: https://www.bsa.org/ https://www.bsa.org/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_Alliance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_Alliance

sircastor 3y ago

There is nowhere in the world that police don’t have better things to do than to raid a shop using pirated software.

blincoln 3y ago
The more likely scenario, at least in the US, is that if your business is already using some legit licensed software from the same publisher, the publisher invokes a contractual right to audit licenses at your business. They find a bunch of unlicensed copies, and send you a huge bill. No police, just a civil matter, but potentially very expensive for the business. When I still did systems engineering work (2001-2011), I personally saw Microsoft conduct a license audit. No one in the organization was using pirated software, but we still got a big bill because the reseller we bought licenses from misrepresented what some of those licenses covered. In that case, MS was willing to chalk it up to an honest mistake as long as we uninstalled the software from the systems that the licenses didn't cover. I doubt they'd have been willing to do that if we'd been running actual cracked versions of their products.
- zirgs 3y ago
  The BSA runs a "snitch" program that disgruntled employees and competitors can use to report pirated software. This is how many businesses get raided. The person that I know also suspects that his company got raided because someone reported them.

zirgs 3y ago

The BSA has been active here for more than 2 decades now. And they cooperate with local law enforcement. Pirated software can easily cost tens of thousands of dollars - so the cops simply can't ignore financial crimes this big. I've also heard that they ignore stuff like music and movies on those PCs, because it's too much work to prove whether they are legal or not, and they cost peanuts compared to stuff like AutoCAD licences. But with software - you only have to ask the accounting department for receipts.

ChuckNorris89 3y ago
Should I, or anyone here, know what the BSA acronym is? Or am I the only one?
- defrost 3y ago
  Birmingham Small Arms company!! Fantastic motorcycles .. and other goods. Or, more likely, this Business Software Alliance: https://www.bsa.org/ https://www.bsa.org/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_Alliance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_Alliance