Business Software Alliance tackles online scams
Published: 06 Oct 2008 14:57 BST
The Business Software Alliance continues to battle distribution of counterfeit software on peer-to-peer and auction sites.
The trade group served more than 48,000 'takedown' notices related to BitTorrent files in the first half of this year and says BSA members lost an estimated $525m (£300m) in sales as a result of peer-to-peer unlicensed-software sharing, according to a new BSA report called Online Software Scams: A Threat to Your Security.
During the first half of this year BSA asked auction site providers to shut down more than 18,000 auctions in which 45,000 products, worth $22m, were being sold, the report says.
The counterfeit-software problem on auction sites is so bad that the Software and Information Industry Association has said it was considering suing eBay.
The BSA warns consumers that buying unlicensed software can lead to software incompatibility and viruses and increased maintenance costs with no technical support, as well as identity fraud and privacy breaches.
One in five US consumers who bought software online in 2006 reported problems, in a survey conducted by Forrester Research on behalf of the BSA. More than half received software that was not what they ordered; 36 percent said the software didn't work; 14 percent realised immediately that the product was fake; and 12 percent never received what they ordered, according to the survey.
"Although consumers may think they are getting a great deal when they buy software from unfamiliar sources online, it is more likely they will receive a substandard product with hidden cybersecurity threats that may expose them to identity theft and the loss of thousands of dollars," the report says.
Credit: Business Software Alliance makes antipiracy push from CNET News
Did you find this article useful?
Digg
Slashdot
Del.ici.ous
Stumble
Reddit
