"It's More than a Copy; It's a Crime", SIIA

I doubt that the new slogan conveys “the increased enforcement and penalties that are being handed down…”, or awareness. By now people know that copyright infringement is a crime. The former slogan, “Don’t Copy that Floppy” is well known and has been ignored for over 15 years, or companies are not aware of what constitutes non-compliance, thinking that the bases are covered. Others choose to gamble that they won’t get caught. These are some of the reasons the enforcement industry has recently stepped up the enforcement pace.

I don’t condone breaking copyright law, which is definitely a crime. I’ve worked to help companies be within the law where the U.S. Copyright Act, Section 17 applies to software . Software companies should receive payment for their products just as any other industry.

Perhaps “We’ll Strike You On Your Bottom Line For Your Copyright Sins” would get more attention.

Unfortunately, people aren’t aware of the increasingly robust activity of enforcement activity since only 10% of enforcement events are publicized. Watch your back! The article linked in this blog entry gives us a warning of SIIA’s “ongoing and future anti-piracy initiatives”. I wonder what the future initiatives will be.

Remember, few companies are intentionally out of compliance. Knowing the rules and monitoring software installations is key.

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-- Rita Bowman