Time to throw the book at bad bosses using pirated software

With reference to Peter Walker’s letter (DW 19 September), I cannot agree with his sentiment. Surely the main aim of the British Software Alliance is to ensure that users of software keep a clean ship and buy legitimate software, as opposed to nicking it.

I have worked in studios where software was shared, and no, I am not about to go screaming to the “authorities” – but in a couple of cases even the original software had not been purchased. In both cases this was not an “oversight” but a deliberate ploy to not spend money when theft would do instead, and to keep a few extra quid in the company coffers.

When a company owner can splash out on a new Mercedes and pay her employees peanuts while providing inferior equipment with pirated software, then yes, I believe she should be “shopped”.

Let’s throw the book at people like her – specifically the Users Guide that poor Mac operators have got to manage without.

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