Systems Technologies Provider Pays $156,000 in Damages to Settle Claims of Unlicensed Software Use

WASHINGTON, March 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Business Software Alliance (BSA), the voice of the world's commercial software industry, today announced a settlement with Scheidt & Bacchmann USA, Inc. of Burlington, MA.  Scheidt & Bacchmann paid $156,002 in damages to BSA to settle claims that it had unlicensed copies of Adobe, Autodesk, Corel, and Microsoft 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.

Scheidt & Bachmann USA, Inc., incorporated in 1995, develops revenue collection systems for the parking and mass transit industries.  

"Scheidt and Bachmann is committed to ensuring that only legal software is used for operating our business.  Working with BSA has given us the opportunity to identify and correct any unlicensed software use, as well as make sure that our business is running at an optimum level of productivity," said John MacDonald, Vice President of Administration of the company.

"It is critical that companies carefully monitor their software assets which ultimately help to drive their engine of innovation," said Jodie Kelley, BSA's Vice President of Anti-Piracy and General Counsel. "By instituting a robust software asset management program, companies can guarantee they have all the necessary licenses for the programs installed on their computers. Unfortunately, many companies often find themselves having to pay a much higher price down the road through either legal damages or through exposing sensitive company information to the extensive risks that stem from using pirated software."

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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