The Anti-piracy organization Business Software Alliance (BSA) is tightening the grip on companies using illegally copied software. At the moment, a campagn is running in the Danish media making it clear that software without the proper licenses is not acceptable.
And there is action backing the words - Right now BSA are investigating a number of Danish companies and their use of illegal software. According to BSA, 
the future will bring a rise to the number of trials and following compensations and also a continuous number of lawsuits against firms, who according to BSA uses illegally copied software.
The latest example is a very clear victory in court against a large Danish freight company. The company accepted to pay one million DKK in a settlement with BSA. In this way, companies have already been caught and are now facing both legal challenges and a negative image in the public.
BSA have until now accepted to close many cases out of court in a settlement, where the adversary has agreed to legitimize the illegal software being used. At the moment, BSA have about 20 cases running concerning companies using illegal software in their day-to-day business.
A fourth of the software is illegal
"Using illegal software is not only against the laws of copyright, it also hurts a company's image when discovered. And the end costs are usually a lot bigger than the costs of buying the required licenses in the first place, says Trude Berg, chairman of BSA in Denmark. According to Berg, about 26 percent of the software used in Danish companies is installed without licenses. "That is a lot, especially since there is relatively few pirates in Denmark. Often the reason is a lack of control of what is installed and how many licenses the company owns."
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BSA advices companies to check up on the number of licenses acquired and compare to the number of software copies installed. "Right now, it is a friendly warning, but we have a timeline. Carrots only taste good if you know there is a whip nearby. If we get a hint at a later time, saying that someone is using illegal copies, we will not hesitate to go to the courts." says Trude Berg.
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Sources: Computerworld og BSA.