A plumbing company based in Leicester has been fined £20,000 for using unlicensed Microsoft software.
The fine, imposed by software industry pressure group the Business Software Alliance, includes paying what it owes in unpaid license feeds plus "settlement costs".
The BSA says it received an anonymous tip off that company the was using unlicensed Microsoft software including the Office desktop productivity suite. A software audit confirmed that this was the case.
The Alliance, which is funded by membership subscription from software companies including Microsoft, offers rewards of up to £20,000 for employees that blow the whistle on their employer’s use of unlicensed software.
"Businesses must be aware that enforcement action will be taken against any company found using unlicensed software," said Michala Wardell, chair of the BSA UK Committee. "The abuse of intellectual property rights is a serious offence, and will not be accepted."
