'Grace period' during November

The Business Software Alliance (BSA) has launched a month-long campaign to stamp out software piracy in Glasgow.

As part of the scheme, the anti-piracy group has promised not to instigate any new legal action against firms based in the city throughout November.

The BSA hopes that this "grace period" will encourage local companies to ensure that all their software is fully licensed and legal.

The BSA claims that it receives more reports of software piracy at businesses in Glasgow than in any other city in the UK outside Greater London.

"Software is one of the most valuable assets for any organisation, so it is vital that businesses realise the seriousness of the issue," said Ram Dhaliwal, UK member committee chairman of the BSA.

"Illegal software from unapproved sources, whether unlicensed or pirated, leaves businesses vulnerable to a range of serious threats.

"We urge Glasgow's businesses to make the most of this 30-day period, come forward and make sure that their software licensing is up to scratch before it's too late."

In a letter to over 8,000 businesses in Glasgow, the BSA has advised people to audit all the software installed on company owned PCs, devices and networks, and check that the software is fully licensed according to the agreements they hold.

Although the audit is entirely voluntary, the BSA has warned that it will launch a crackdown on businesses that have refused to cooperate once this period has expired.

The BSA also warned that using pirated software leaves businesses open to potential loss or corruption of data, as unlicensed software may not receive the same support, services, performance patches and upgrades as legal versions or may be embedded with malicious code.