Dude, I just ejected coffee out of my nose! You owe me a new shirt. Why are you so surprised? Earlier, you challenged me to provide a single example in which federal officials are permitted to enter your home without a warrant or court order. So far, I've provided two. But, you have yet to answer my challenge.
Somehow, I doubt it.
That's nothing more than your opinion. You asked if I would concede this particular point, and I agreed to do so if you provided information about the BSA's process that leads to an "unannounced software audit".
On the other hand, you won't even concede agreement on points that I basically repeated from your own postings. So, which one of us is being reasonable?
Yes, I believe we would. I know and trust our compliance guy.
I'm glad to hear it. I think my company would survive one, as well. I know I would personally survive one.
That's nothing more than your opinion. You asked if I would concede this particular point, and I agreed to do so if you provided information about the BSA's process that leads to an "unannounced software audit".
The BSA has
this to say about Ernie Ball:
"Washington, DC (05 September 2000) -- The Business Software Alliance (BSA) today announced it conducted an unannounced software audit of Ernie Ball, Inc., a manufacturer of musical instruments and guitar strings located in San Luis Obispo, CA. On August 24, 2000, BSA representatives, accompanied by the US Marshals Service, carried out a court order to audit software published by Adobe Systems Incorporated, Autodesk, Inc., FileMaker, Inc. and Microsoft Corp. installed on Ernie Ball's computers. The legal action began with a call to BSA's anti-piracy hotline 1-888 NO PIRACY. BSA filed a complaint for copyright infringement in federal district court in Los Angeles, and the court ordered the unannounced audit of Ernie Ball's computers. The court also entered a temporary restraining order preventing Ernie Ball from deleting software from its computers. "
Here's another
one that describes their usual procedures:
"Washington D.C., (March 5) - The Business Software Alliance (BSA), a watchdog group representing the nation’s leading software manufacturers, today announced that eight California organizations agreed to pay a combined total of more than $512,000 to settle claims relating to unlicensed copies of software programs installed on office computers. In addition to making their respective payments, the organizations have agreed to delete any unlicensed copies, purchase replacement software and strengthen their software management policies. These BSA investigations began with a call to BSA’s hotline, 1-888-NO PIRACY or with a report to its website, www.bsa.org. Typically, after an initial investigation of the lead, the BSA contacts the organization reported, although in some cases it pursues a software raid. "
So there you have it in black and white: Their usual procedure is to contact the company during an investigation. They don't just dial the US Marshals. This information is consistent with what I've been saying on this thread. Just because you buy a piece of software doesn't mean that the BSA and US Marshals can enter your workplace or home. That requires a court order. If you let them in, you have nothing to complain about.
BTW, BSA offers a
self-audit tool for monitoring software licensing compliance -- for those whiners who complain that it's too
harrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrd [use whiny voice here].