Software – Stay Legal campaign arrives in London
FAST to educate Law Enforcement agents in the capital to help boost UK economy by stopping software piracy
A drive to highlight the issue of software piracy, and its negative impact on the creation of jobs and wealth in the capital will be commenced by awareness training for London’s law enforcement agents including Trading Standards and police on 20 June 2012.
The Federation Against Software Theft (FAST) are hosting the event following successful initiatives in the South East, North West, North East and Wales.
London: ‘Software – Stay Legal’ will be held at the offices of IP legal experts DAC Beachcroft LLP on Fetter Lane, London. FAST will work with Trading Standards across London to drive awareness, explain the practicalities of dealing with counterfeiting and piracy. Our aim is to eradicate it to ensure a level playing field for businesses across the region.
Sean Rovai, Chair of LoTSA IP Crime Group, comments:
“London is arguably the heart of the digital economy in the UK, so this event comes at an important time as the creative industries help build the UK recovery. It’s important that we are equipped with the knowledge that we need to support this crucial sector and protect local businesses trading within the law.
“Software theft threatens to weaken the UK economy and impact upon the creation of local jobs. With FAST we hope to instil a confidence in businesses that London is open to investment and growth.”
Under section 107A of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, Trading Standards has the duty to prosecute copyright offences and may inspect workplaces to check for software compliance. FAST is providing guidance for Trading Standards officers across the country on how to deal with piracy at a practical level and thus be equipped to enforce intellectual property rights.
The programme will bring together speakers from a number of leading software IP rights holders, including Adobe, Symantec, SAGE, and Microsoft, as well as the Intellectual Property Office. The event aims to highlight the vital role that software development has in job creation. Piracy can only have a negative impact on the economy of London.
Robin Fry, Commercial Services Partner at DAC Beachcroft, says:
“Pirated software sold in boxes has, thankfully, been decimated due to stronger and more intelligent enforcement. Piracy now means a range of illicit activity – sales of licence keys, illegal downloads and code reused without permission in hosted applications. All of these have major problems in terms of evidence collection and enforcement. Agility and intelligent investigations – often with international co-operation – now replace the uniformed officers at the warehouse door. Continuing education and enforcement are key and the work that both FAST and Trading Standards are doing is to be commended.”
Samantha Locke, Assistant Manager at Grant Thornton, adds:
As insolvency practitioners and in our capacity as Court Appointed Receivers we know more than most that software piracy is not a victimless crime. We work alongside Trading Standards and other law enforcement agencies to ensure that the money obtained through illegal activities such as counterfeiting is identified and confiscated using the Proceeds of Crime Act.
“The recovery of funds sends out an important message that these crimes do not pay, disrupts illegal activity and makes it more difficult for criminals to repeat their offences in future.”
For more information, and to register, please visit: http://www.fastiis.org/resources/events/ or email events@fastiis.org
About FAST
The Federation Against Software Theft was formed in 1984. FAST is a not-for-profit organisation limited by guarantee and wholly owned by its members. It aims to reduce, restrict and or lessen the incidence of unauthorised dealings in computer software. It works on many fronts to promote software compliance and protect its members’ rights through awareness, enforcement, lobbying and promoting standards and best practice in business.
About DAC Beachcroft
Experts in copyright – particularly software theft and unlawful file–sharing. Tech transfer and licensing, software as a service and buy–outs of businesses and intellectual property are also delivered. Previous winner (working with FAST) of Best Achievement in Protecting IP on the Internet. Experience in escrow and data protection inc. data leakage issues. Very strong presence in the financial services and health markets.
