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BSA WARN OF UNSCRUPULOUS INTERNET CAFES
The Business Software Alliance (BSA) is warning users of Internet Cafes to be particularly vigilant of using computers which may have illegal software installed. The warning follows recent raids on two Internet Café chains in Dublin and Cork where software worth thousands of Euro’s was discovered to be in use illegally. As a result, judgement for EUR90,000 has been obtained against Colefield Developments Ltd, a Cork based company, and InterConnect Ltd, a Dublin based company with Internet Café’s under the “Call Connect” brand name, is being sued for the software licensing infringements.
The BSA, a not-for-profit organisation which represents software publishers, now believes illegal use of software to be particularly prevalent amongst Internet cafes since it has received a further two reports of illegal software use in Internet cafes in Kildare and Cork. The BSA suggests that consumers should seek assurances from the Internet Café owner or manager that all software installed on their computers is fully licensed before being forced to pay for the use of something that is illegal.
To combat the software piracy problem in this sector, the BSA has written specifically to Internet Café businesses across Ireland advising them to check that all software in use is compliant or risk prosecution. www.bsa.org