Copyright infringement

[Carol Simpson <csimpson@TENET.EDU>]

For those who wonder if schools ever get "caught" in copyright
violations, you might be interested in this item reprinted from the SPA
Alert, the bulletin of the Software Publisher's Assn.


TECHNICAL INSTITUTE SETTLES SOFTWARE COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT SUIT,
COLLEGE AGREES TO PAY SIX FIGURE SETTLEMENT
A Pennsylvania-based college, the Berks Technical Institute (BTI), has
agreed to pay $102,500 to resolve copyright infringement claims.  The
claims arise from a software audit initiated by the Software Publishers
Association (SPA).  SPA contacted BTI after receiving allegations of
illegal copyright use via the SPA's toll free anti-piracy hotline, (800)
388-7478.

BTI conducted the audit of its software usage and provided the results
of that audit - which disclosed unlicensed copies of a number of
computer programs - to SPA.  BTI then purchased new software to bring
itself into compliance with the copyright laws and entered into the
negotiations with SPA that led to the settlement announced today.

In announcing the settlement, Peter Beruk, director of North American
anti-piracy for SPA said, "U.S. companies and organizations continue to
use and duplicate software illegally.  SPA frequently endeavors to
settle copyright infringement matters without having to resort to filing
a lawsuit, and BTI is to be congratulated for addressing the problem of
unlicensed software use when it was brought to its attention.  This
settlement should send a message to others, including educational
institutions, that SPA and its 1,200 member companies will not tolerate
software piracy.  The copyright laws apply fully to schools, and schools
should be particularly careful to comply with those laws so that they do
not set a bad example for their students."

In commenting on the settlement, David Snyder, director of BTI, said
that the alleged violations were inadvertent and resulted from the lack
of a full understanding of the copyright laws by the school's management
and staff.  He noted that BTI voluntarily provided SPA with the
information it sought and took immediate steps to correct the problem.
He further stated that BTI plans to adopt some of SPA's educational
modules as part of its curriculum.

For further information, contact Peter Beruk, SPA director of North
American anti-Piracy, (202) 452-1600, ext. 314, or pberuk@spa.org.

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