[school-discuss] Re: BSA Software audit

[Leon Brooks <leon@brooks.fdns.net>]

On Wednesday 29 May 2002 22:43, TJ Miller wrote:
> If installed software has not been legitimately
> purchased, they can fine up to $100,000 per incident and possible
> federal prison time for the guilty party(ies).

> IT will be in contact with every department and Instructional Program
> this week, Thursday and Friday, to ensure proper software licensing
> procedures have been followed.

Did you remember to tell them that they're dreaming? And that even if they 
make lab supervisors, students, the janitor or the archchancellor responsible 
for properly following the rules, inconsistencies will still be found?

No organisation with more than about 20 MS desktops can seriously hope to be 
100% compliant. When it comes down to the wire, the BSA is a rort.

You might also do well to remind them that the BSA is disinclined to further 
irritate organisations which are obviously investigating products that 
compete with their supporters' (the rationale apparently being that the BSA 
looks bad when they're openly blamed for driving away sizeable customers).

In other words, they should at least have OOo and/or StarOffice obviously 
under trial before the BSA arrives. A few Linux desktops scattered around 
would do no harm either.

Cheers; Leon