The Amount of Liquidated Damages for Small or Medium-sized Enterprise’s Use of Counterfeit Software Reaches New High. BSA and Intellectual Property Office will give NT$800,000 prize money to former employee who file a report.

If you are a boss of a small or medium-sized enterprise and are still using counterfeit software, you had better treat your employees well. According to statistics released by Business Software Alliance (“BSA”), among counterfeits reporting cases, 70% of them are filed by former employees. At the same time, some former employees recorded all counterfeit information of their company for filing a report to the judiciary and the police, and they can receive not only NT$300,000 prize money from BSA but also NT$500,000 prize money form Intellectual Property Office.　

 

BSA announced yesterday that a small enterprise was rendered to compensate NT$15,500,000 for Microsoft, AUTO-CAD, and PTC for using the said companies’ software by Banciao District Court. This case also reaches maximum compensation amount of infringement case of small or medium-sized enterprises.

 

The company that was rendered infringement has approximately 10 staff members, and there are approximately 10 computers. The Microsoft operating systems of such computers have all been overtime, and all of its tool software are counterfeits as well; therefore, a former technology consultant of the said company provided clues of the said company’s infringement for BSA on his initial and attend the hearing to testify.

 

In the past, when prosecutor and investigation bureau uncovered counterfeits, the court usually merely claimed for high compensation amount against channels and manufacturers. The court never rendered a judgment of such high compensation amount against small or medium-size enterprise before, and it would undoubtedly produce deterrent effect to small or medium-sized enterprises that still use counterfeits.

 

BSA expressed that nearly 40% companies used assembly computers when purchasing computers in the past one year, and most of such companies are companies with less than 9 employees. Among these assembled computers, 70% of them are using illegal software, therefore, small or medium-size enterprises’ counterfeit problem is severe. (2005.4)

CYJ/CHA