Illegal Software and Your Small Business

Software is a neat thing. It gives your computer all types of functionality and can increase productivity and profit for your business. On the other hand software can be very dangerous to your company if you run afoul of the many license agreements that dictates use of commercial software. BSA, the Business Software Alliance which is an alliance of software companies that prosecutes people for violating software licensing rakes around 13 million dollars a year, mostly from small businesses who can’t afford to protect themselves. They hear about the infringement from your employees by offering up to a million dollars for their tips. The BSA will then contact you and essentially tell you to pay up thousands of dollars in settlement costs. If you don’t pay, they can launch law suits against your company — scary stuff.

So what can you do to protect yourself. First of all don’t copy commercial software. If it’s made by Microsoft, there is a hefty license fee and excessive restriction about what you can do with software. If you are going to use Microsoft Software, make sure you read the agreements carefully. Don’t copy software and don’t use illegal ways to circumvent copy protection mechanisms.

There are alternatives to Microsoft Software. The biggest, free alternative is the Linux Operating system which has many flavors, the best bet being Ubuntu. Ubuntu can downloaded for free as an ISO image and burned, or you can get a free CD delivered to your home. Ubuntu is also available as a live image that can be run by simply popping in the CD. Obviously you will need some productivity software to go with your new install, no problem! Ubuntu comes with a free Word Processor, Spread Sheet, Presentation called Open Office which is just like Microsoft Office, except it’s free! Ubuntu also comes with thousands of other free applications that will never get your company in trouble, If you make the switch to Linux you software licensing woes can be over forever!