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Health Insurance Provider Pays $61,500 to Settle Claims of Unlicensed Software Use

 

WASHINGTON, March 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Business Software Alliance (BSA), the voice of the world's commercial software industry, today announced a settlement with iCan Benefit Group of Boca Raton, FL.  iCan Benefit paid $61,500 to BSA to settle claims that it had unlicensed copies of Adobe, Microsoft and Symantec software installed on its computers.  As part of the settlement agreement, the company agreed to delete all unlicensed copies of software from its computers, acquire any licenses necessary to become compliant, and commit to implementing stronger software asset management (SAM) practices.  BSA was alerted to the unlicensed software use by a confidential report made on its web site www.nopiracy.com.

iCan Benefit was founded five years ago with a mission of providing Americans with medical care through affordable health insurance.  The group currently offers a range of products and services including iCan health insurance, media and marketing, telehealth, and forensic claims auditing.

"iCan Benefit has always been committed to the highest level of business standards," said Steve Tucker, Co-Founder and CEO of the iCan Group.  "While working with BSA to reach this agreement, we've focused on enhancing ways of protecting our intellectual property. It's important for all companies to implement systems that ensure computer software is used in accordance with licensing rules.  The settlement agreement did not include any admission of liability."

"All businesses need to be certain they have adequate licenses for all software installed on their computers," said Jenny Blank, BSA's Senior Director of Legal Affairs.  "Proper software asset management helps to maximize a company's IT investment and ensure the highest level of software security.  Unfortunately, the use of unlicensed software is a significant issue that impacts the technology industry and ultimately jeopardizes the spirit of innovation and creativity that is so critical to success."  

DATA

2007 Florida Piracy Rate*

19%

Losses to Florida Software Vendors

$372 million

Losses to Florida Distributors/Service Providers

$966 million

Lost State and Local Tax Revenue (FL)

$154 million



2008 US Piracy Rate**

20%

2008 U.S. Losses to Software Industry

$9.1 Billion

vs.  2007

-1%

Benefits of reducing piracy by 10% age points over 4 years

32,000 new jobs; $41 billion in economic growth; $7 billion in tax revenue



2008 Global Piracy Rate

41%

2008 Worldwide Losses to Software Industry

$53.0 Billion

vs.  2007

+3%


* 2008 BSA-IDC State Piracy Study


**Sixth Annual BSA-IDC Global Software Piracy Study



BSA Rewards Program

Know It, Report It, Reward It

Rewards Paid by BSA  Since 2008

$327,000

Avg. Annual End-User Piracy Reports Received by BSA

2,419

Website for Reporting Piracy to BSA

www.nopiracy.com

Hotline for Reporting Piracy to BSA

1-888-NO-PIRACY



BSA website

www.bsa.org  

Free Self-Audit tools provided by BSA

www.bsaaudit.com    

Facebook (keyword)

Business Software Alliance (BSA) Anti-Piracy

Fines for violating copyright law

$150,000 per title copied

If convicted of violating copyright law

$250,000 per title copied and/or Jail (up to 5 years)

Risks of Software Piracy

Financial:  Thousands of dollars in fines and damages


Technical: Information security risks;  viruses, trojans, malware; Identity theft;  Exposure of sensitive data and personal information.


Legal: Fines, Criminal Prosecution, Risk of being caught by BSA


About BSA

The Business Software Alliance (www.bsa.org) is the foremost organization dedicated to promoting a safe and legal digital world.  BSA is the voice of the world's commercial software industry and its hardware partners before governments and in the international marketplace.  Its members represent one of the fastest growing industries in the world.  BSA programs foster technology innovation through education and policy initiatives that promote copyright protection, cyber security, trade and e-commerce.  BSA members include Adobe, Apple, Autodesk, Bentley Systems, Corel, Dassault Systemes SolidWorks Corporation, Microsoft, Minitab, Quark, Quest Software, Rosetta Stone, Siemens, Sybase, Symantec, and The MathWorks.

SOURCE Business Software Alliance

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RELATED LINKS
http://www.icanbenefit.com
http://www.nopiracy.com
http://www.bsa.org

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