The cyber threat alliance joined comptia, the cybersecurity coalition, the global cyber alliance, the alliance for digital innovation, the information technology industry council, the internet association. The business software alliance bsa, an association comprised of leading software publishing companies, has received information that company may have installed. Kagetsuki writes weve just gotten a letter from an attorney representing the business software alliance stating someone were certain its a disgruntled former employee submitted information we are using. They ignored the letter and never heard from them again. Once you have received this letter, it would be unwise to ignore it because. What the business software alliance audit letter does typepad. The center for threat intelligences certified threat intelligence professional ctip was created to address this challenge. Your first option is to choose to ignore the letter. A ccused of software piracy by bsa the software alliance. What the business software alliance audit letter does the letter goes on to state that the recipient has been identified as somebody that could be using those various pieces of software. How do they know someone in your company is using software illegally.
Jan 06, 2014 i have had similar run ins with the federation against software theft fast and politely told them to push off as they had no jurisdiction. The software alliance has been concerned, in particular, that some countries require information about their citizens to be stored on domestic computer servers and not transmitted outside. Business software alliance wants in on threestrikes action. Do not panic or react impulsively when you receive a threat letter from bsa for an audit. The bsa is a trade group representing software giants like apple, adobe, cisco systems, hewlett packard. The bsa is known to be a persistent enforcement agency which rarely. In the letter, the bsa accuses the company of illegal duplication and use of.
What you need to know if you receive a letter from bsa the. Godaddy, the nets largest registrar of domain names, faced a backlash thursday over its support of a controversial bill expanding the rights of holders to take down domain names. Companies must define what they need and why they need it, align security needs and business objectives, and finally, create. New yorkbusiness wireintelleges, a software company, and cyber security firm advanced threat analysis ata signed a strategic alliance today. However, be certain that the process is adversarial, just like any threat of litigation. Stupidly, our it department invited them in to explain licensing to us, and now we are trying to fend off an audit on our computers public and priv. I have had similar run ins with the federation against software theft fast and politely told them to push off as they had no jurisdiction. I had a client get a letter from bsa several years back. What you need to know if you receive a letter from bsa. How the business software alliance will come after your. How to handle business software alliance audit demand letters. Letter arrives at business offering to do an audit with various slightly threatening and ominous conditions. Bsa the software alliances primary enforcement tool is to send a threatening letter indicating that an.
Mcafee end user license agreement, which applies to mcafee software, mcafee software excluding firmware that is preloaded, preinstalled. Dale thompson dba appletree solutions and the business software alliance. Letter will convey about our company, product we are developing and how partnership can be a winwin for both the companies. Bsa the software alliance fullservice business law firm.
Sample letter responding to a bsa voluntary software license request. Sep 04, 2009 the business software alliance also sent a letter to congress in july expressing concern. We as an industry have more jobs that we can fill, we need to have high skilled workers in united states and we need to also welcome high skilled workers from other countries, said victoria a espinel. If your organization is one of them and the business software alliance bsa hasnt come calling yet, theres still time to get your house in order. It all begins with the receipt of a simple letter from the business software alliance.
A few weeks ago, the bsa which is really the business software alliance, but refers to itself as the software alliance sent a letter to congress outlining some of the issues that its. It may be surprising to learn that the business software alliance bsa actually hires law firms to send letters threatening its own business. They were a family run business with all of 4 computers. Business software alliance writes european regulations. Bsa the software alliance page 1 business pistonheads. The bsa is a trade group representing software giants like apple, adobe.
Stupidly, our it department invited them in to explain. Received a letter from bsa saying we are using illegal software. To calculate your potential exposure, use our business software. Our lawyers have the legal and technical expertise to defend your business through every step of the bsa audit process. Those individuals include business software alliance attorney. Im a faculty member at a public university which the business software alliance contacted in a bulk mailing last fall. Often a business faces many threats, other then competition, when operating its affairs. Pls send your proposal before sept 30th eod and quote a fixed price. The bsa encapsulates or encapsulated workers of william gates. Its principal activity is trying to stop infringement of software produced by its members. How to protect your company from an unlicensedsoftware. Business software alliance archives insurance journal. How to handle a business software alliance audit dtech.
She is an awardwinning veteran technology and business journalist with more than two decades of experience in reporting and editing for various. How the business software alliance operates slashdot. These are usually threat letters and cannot be taken lightly. The emergence of online stores was a threat to most brick and mortar stores, regardless of their product. But once that bsa threat letter hits the mailbox, the. We as an industry have more jobs that we can fill, we need to. Since this is potetnially a legal threat, they will need to deal with this. A threat is an external factor outside the business that may effect the performance of your business. The business software alliance also sent a letter to congress in july expressing concern.
Once you have received this letter, it would be unwise to ignore it because they are not bluffing. New york business wireintelleges, a software company, and cyber security firm advanced threat analysis ata signed a strategic alliance today. Bsa the software alliance sent a letter to congress outlining the software industrys priorities for future covid19 relief legislation. How the business software alliance will come after your business as a business owner, you should know that you shouldnt abuse the software licenses that your business relies on to function, or use pirated software to fulfill that need.
Us needs highly skilled workers to keep innovating. The business software alliance is pleased to respond to the following question posed in your letter of june 21, 2012. The european commissions proposal for a directive on software patents making software patentable in europe is announced today the commissions proposal still will have to pass. How the business software alliance will come after your business as a business owner, you should know that you shouldnt abuse the software licenses that your business relies on to function, or use. Keelin hargadon businesses sometimes find themselves the recipients of a letter from the business software alliance bsa demanding an. May, 2020 as a result, the national cyber security alliance, whose partners include the department of homeland security, the federal bureau of investigations, small business administration, national institute for standards and technology, symantec, microsoft, ca, mcafee, aol and rsa, developed top 5 threats your small business may face on the internet. The certification program was developed in collaboration with highly experienced intelligence experts with military, federal and corporate intelligence backgrounds. The audit effective date is the date on the bsa initial letter requesting an audit. The software alliance, also known as bsa, is a trade group established by microsoft corporation in 1988 and representing a number of the worlds largest software makers and is a member of the international intellectual property alliance. The business software alliance bsa represents the interests of founding and maintaining members, to whom the bsa is a collective front.
The software alliance audit timeline bsa audit defense. We then offer two example scenarios of how businesses can put these. If you have been contacted by bsa the software alliance, you need experienced counsel to protect your business. The software alliance, also known as bsa, is a trade group established by microsoft corporation in 1988 and representing a number of the worlds largest software makers and is a member of the international. A bsa audit is a request, under threat of litigation, to compile a listing of all bsa member software products installed on the audited entitys computer network as of the audit effective date. Top five small business internet security threats small. Sep 25, 2015 a few weeks ago, the bsa which is really the business software alliance, but refers to itself as the software alliance sent a letter to congress outlining some of the issues that its members. Mcafee end user license agreement, which applies to mcafee software, mcafee.
The typical modus operandi is to send a demand letter asking for some thousands of dollars with a threat to sue. Business software alliance wants in on threestrikes action the business software alliance calls graduated response its preferred plan for nate anderson aug 31, 2009 2. Bsa letter supporting cyber threat information sharing. Salesforce says it doesnt support cisa after signing letter. Sep 21, 2017 it all begins with the receipt of a simple letter from the business software alliance. Sample letter we have used to respond to a request for a voluntary software. The bsa is a trade group representing software giants like apple, adobe, cisco systems, hewlett packard, ibm.
The cyber threat alliance joined comptia, the cybersecurity coalition, the global cyber alliance, the alliance for digital innovation, the information technology industry council, the internet association, and bsa, the software alliance, in sending a letter to house speaker nancy pelosi dcalif. By clicking submit and downloading, installing, andor using the mcafee products, you agree on behalf of your company to the mcafee terms that apply to your mcafee products. We received a letter from the business software alliance. At the june 5 hearing, questions were raised concerning. In our experience, the bsa has referred to the appletree case adobe systems incorporated v. Apr 11, 2020 the easiest way write a complaint letter to a company, is to quickly get to your problem. Issue alert on growing use of covidthemed hacks april 9 coronavirus and other diseases part 2. The operating plan of your business plan should include a component called business threats. For those who have received a demand letter from the business software alliance, here is something you should know. Your knowledge about financial domain will be an advantage. Oct 20, 2015 how to handle a business software alliance audit.
Include your desired resolution in the body of the letter, and state a time limit for the solution. Its members include companies like apple, cisco, dell, hp, ibm, intel, microsoft and others. Seem to recall we advised our customers to ignore it. Hitrust, in collaboration with private sector, government, technology and information privacy and security leaders, has established the hitrust csf, a certifiable framework that can be used by any. Software piracy is big business and bad for it as a whole, so someone has to police it. Sample bsa voluntary software audit letter vondran legal. Sometimes, a letter from a vendor sounds like a threat when, in fact, its just a hard sell to upgrade. How to protect your company from an unlicensedsoftware crackdown. As a result, the national cyber security alliance, whose partners include the department of homeland security, the federal bureau of investigations, small business administration, national. Technology story december 2, 2007 future point of view.
Oct 07, 2015 the software alliance has been concerned, in particular, that some countries require information about their citizens to be stored on domestic computer servers and not transmitted outside. Victoria a espinel, business software alliance 21 mar, 2017, 07. Before you do anything else, approach your legal counsel and inform them about the audit letter. What the business software alliance audit letter does the letter goes on to state that the recipient has been identified as somebody that could be using those various pieces of software without proper licensing, as a result, they say that that person receiving the letter may be in violation of the act in the united states. The business software alliance bsa, an association comprised of leading software publishing companies, has received information that company may have installed illegally duplicated ed software programs on its computers. A business software alliance bsa audit is usually initiated with a letter from the bsa stating that an investigation has been started on your business and that you should comply with a selfaudit to avoid litigation and other legal hassles.
Close the letter respectfully by writing yours sincerely, your name or respectfully, your name. Kagetsuki writes weve just gotten a letter from an attorney representing the business software alliance stating someone were certain its a disgruntled former employee submitted information we are using illegally copied software. Dec 02, 2007 the typical modus operandi is to send a demand letter asking for some thousands of dollars with a threat to sue. The most obvious effect would be a reduction in corporate sales.
Bsa the software alliance s primary enforcement tool is to send a threatening letter indicating that an investigation has commenced and offering to forego litigation if the target company provides a selfaudit. The certification program was developed in collaboration with highly. The letter is an invitation to resolve what the business software alliance bsa believes to be infringement, often called software piracy, without formal litigation. Companies must define what they need and why they need it, align security needs and business objectives, and finally, create an actual plan. The easiest way write a complaint letter to a company, is to quickly get to your problem. But once that bsa threat letter hits the mailbox, the ballgame changes. Business alliance letter article writing business writing. This letter is a business proposal with proposed alliance with a vendor.
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