Laws and
regulations throughout the world condemn software piracy. For example, in the United
States software piracy is punishable by statutory damages of up to $100,000 for each work
infringed and may result in a felony conviction. Penalties for felony convictions include
fines of up to $250,000 (US) and imprisonment for up to 5 years. To find out more on how
to protect you and your company from software piracy, please read on.
 Click here to visit
the Business Software Alliance (BSA) home page
Bentley Systems, Incorporated is a worldwide leader in engineering software products, user services
and overall quality. Bentley's products are proven at over 70 percent of the largest U.S.
engineering firms and are the software foundation behind the engineering of well-known
buildings, roadways, machines and industrial plants around the world. In order to maximize
our licensed users' effectiveness, significant amounts of time and resources are spent in
the development and continuous improvement of the Bentley product line.
An original computer program is regarded by the law as the intellectual property of the
person or company that created the program. Unauthorized copying of such programs is
prohibited by copyright law. Our intellectual property, the Bentley product line, is
protected by copyright and, in an effort to protect our accomplishments, it is our policy
to maintain and enforce our rights under copyright law.
An original computer program is regarded by the law as the intellectual property of the
person or company that created the program. Unauthorized copying of such works is
prohibited by copyright law. Our intellectual property, the MicroStation product line, is
protected by copyright and, in an effort to protect our accomplishments, it is our policy
to maintain and enforce our rights under copyright law.
 What Is A Copyright?
A copyright is a form of statutory protection, which allows its owner the exclusive
right to control, among other things, the copying, distribution and preparation of
derivative works of authored materials. International treaties and laws in most countries
provide for protection of software under copyright provisions. All Bentley software
products and user documentation is protected by copyright. The rights granted to the user
of a Bentley product are conveyed to the user by the software license agreement.
What Is A Software License Agreement?
A software license agreement is a legal agreement between a software user (the
licensee) and the software developer that sets the terms and conditions under which the
software and its accompanying materials may be used.
 What Are The Facts About Software
Piracy?
Software piracy is the failure of a licensed user to adhere to the conditions of a
software licenser, or the unauthorized use or reproduction of copyrighted software by a
person or entity that has not been licensed to use the software.
The five most common forms of software piracy are:
- "Softlifting"-the creation of unauthorized copies by a licensed user for the
use of fellow employees, colleagues or friends, contrary to the terms of the license
agreement.
- "Hard Disk Loading"-the unauthorized creation and loading of copies of
software programs onto the hard disks of computers by hardware dealers.
- "Bulletin Board Piracy" or "Internet Piracy"-the illegal
transmission and posting of copyrighted software programs to computer bulletin boards,
from on-line services or via electronic mail.
- "Counterfeiting"-the illegal duplication and sale of copyrighted software that
is designed to appear legitimate.
- "Software Rental" or "Mail Order Clubs"-the rental of software alone
or installed on a computer which is, in turn, rented for a specific time period. According
to the Business Software Alliance (BSA), the annual estimated loss due to piracy is $13.1
billion (US) worldwide, with a loss of $2.9 billion in the United States alone.
Ultimately, software piracy results in the loss of tax revenues, jobs, and growth in the
software industry. Laws and regulations throughout the world condemn software piracy. For
example, in the United States, software piracy is punishable by statutory damages of up to
$100,000 (US) for each work infringed, and may result in a felony conviction. Penalties
for felony convictions include fines of up to $250,000 (US) and imprisonment for up to
five years!
According to the Business Software Alliance (BSA),
the annual estimated loss due to piracy is $12.8 billion (US) worldwide, with a loss of
$2.2 billion in the United States alone. Ultimately, software piracy increases the cost of
software and results in the loss of tax revenues, jobs, and growth in the software
industry.
Laws and regulations throughout the world condemn software piracy. For example, in the
United States, software piracy is punishable by statutory damages of up to $100,000 (US)
for each work infringed, and may result in a felony conviction. Penalties for felony
convictions include fines of up to $250,000 (US) and imprisonment for up to five years!
How Can You Avoid Piracy In Your
Organization?
There are many things you can do to prevent or stop software piracy:
Affirm Company Policy
Implement and adhere to an anti-piracy compliance program within your organization. The Guide To Software Management, a free publication
from the BSA, outlines a step-by-step compliance program that can be implemented by any
organization. The guide is available in eight languages and can be ordered free of charge
through any of the BSA anti-piracy hotlines or downloaded from the BSA website. The BSA
also makes available to organizations their software management tools, SoftScan™ and
MacScan™ which are designed to help you identify the licensed and unlicensed software
programs installed on your computer systems. You may download your free copy of SoftScan
or MacScan by visiting the BSA's website.
Report Piracy
Many avenues are available for your confidential reporting of suspected instances of
software piracy. The BSA and Bentley strictly adhere to a policy of respecting a caller's
desire for confidentiality.
How Can You Confidentially Report
Piracy of Bentley Software?
Contact The BSA Hotlines
The BSA maintains anti-piracy hotlines and online resources that you can use to
confidentially report instances of suspected software piracy or to request any of their
free resource materials. In the United States, you can call toll free at (888)NOPIRACY. A
list of hotline numbers worldwide is included in this brochure. The BSA can be found on
the World Wide Web at http://www.bsa.org/.
Contact Bentley
If your software piracy questions or concerns involve a Bentley product, you can
contact your nearest Bentley office, including the corporate headquarters toll free at
(800) BENTLEY or (610) 458-5000. You can reach Bentley's anti-piracy department through
E-mail at anti.piracy@bentley.com.
Please Note: This brochure is for educational purposes only and does not alter the
terms of any Bentley license agreement. |
