October 24, 2016

FAST says that it has “stepped up the pressure on those who intentionally misuse software in a business” with the announcement that it has launched a Damages Program to drive compliance.

Historically FAST has worked on behalf of software vendors using educational campaigns to raise the awareness of software use in a business environment.  Most business users are lawfully in their use of software.  However, over the past year alone FAST received over 100 reports on intentional illegal use of software programs.

Alex Hilton, CEO of FAST, stated: “In recent years there has been a very clear move by the global software industry to take a new approach to address the growing issue of unintentional piracy as a result of unpaid licenses in business.  But as we have seen there is still a huge number of determined individuals trying to avoid the costs of correctly licensed software.  As a result, we have announced that FAST will no longer act to just recoup the losses suffered by our members, but we will also recover money for historic illegal use.  That means we will no longer be going after infringers solely for the cost of new software licenses, we will now be acting retrospectively and that means a far greater financial impact”.

FAST says that it uses traditional tools such as civil lawsuits, when necessary, to stop software theft, providing a real and tangible response to end-user unlicensed software use.  FAST has also referred cases to national law enforcement authorities for criminal prosecution, providing close collaboration and invaluable support throughout the investigative process.  To read FAST’s press release in full, click here.