201708.14
Off
3

11 Software Audit Best Practices

Robert J. Scott, Ground Report It is important to prepare in case a software vendor sends you an email or letter asking for an audit. Not being prepared ends up in loss of money and takes away time from productive work. This article gives you 11 very useful best practices on how to prepare for an…

201608.04
Off
1

Lessons Learned in Over 500 Software License Disputes

Finance Monthly – Spotlight Feature – Software Disputes, Robert Scott, July 2016 Regardless of whether the publisher is Microsoft, Adobe, Autodesk, Oracle, IBM or any of their trade groups including the BSA | The Software Alliance, Scott & Scott, LLP sees common issues – here are the most critical ones.

201605.11
Off
1

Software piracy claims can ruin your business and reward those responsible

Robert J. Scott, TechCrunch, 5/11/16 There is a highly divisive and costly practice that software companies have inflicted on their customers for nearly a decade. This practice brings with it significant emotional duress, time investment and financial penalties — all of which divert meaningful resources from revenue-driving activities. And to add insult to injury, this…

201511.20
Off
1

4 Tips for Surviving Software Audits

Wendy McMahone, CDWG, 11/20/215 With software makers such as IBM promising customers a licensing compliance review at least once every two years, undergoing a software audit isn’t a question of if, but of when. Robert Scott, managing partner of Scott & Scott, a Texas-based law firm specializing in software audits, says the risk of an…

201308.14
Off
2

Software License Management for the Modern Enterprise

CDW Whitepaper, 2013 Remarkably, only about 20 percent of organizations have a formal software management program in place, according to consulting firm Ernst & Young. And more than half continue to use spreadsheets to manage software licenses, according to the research firm Opinion Matters. Although technology professionals have long voiced concerns about the consequences of poor software license…

201208.14
Off
1

Managing Software License Disputes: Cooperation or Litigation

Robert J. Scott, The Licensing Journal, August 2012 Cooperate or litigate? That’s the question company executives must answer when software publishers claim that the company is violating the terms of its software licenses. In our experience, the best strategy depends on a variety of legal and business factors. This article discusses common software dispute resolution frameworks and concludes that a combined approach…

201108.14
Off
1

How to defend against software audits successfully

Robert J. Scott, WestLaw Journal, 2011 Shrinking budgets for information technology and fierce competition among software publishers have created explosive growth in the incidence and frequency of software audits, a mechanism by which software publishers investigate their customers to determine whether they are in compliance with software licenses and copyright laws.

201105.14
Off
1

7 Software Audit Secrets

Robert J. Scott, Enterprise Features, May 2011 I am a lawyer that represents businesses in software audit cases initiated by software publishers and their trade groups including Business Software Alliance and the SIIA. I work with a team of lawyers and technology professionals defending software license disputes involving Microsoft, IBM, Autodesk, Oracle and Adobe. My clients range from global…

201011.06
Off
1

Chasing Pirates: Inside Microsoft’s War Room

Ashlee Vance, The New York Times, 11/06/2010 Microsoft has demonstrated a rare ability to elicit the cooperation of law enforcement officials to go after software counterfeiters and to secure convictions — not only in India and Mexico, but also in China, Brazil, Colombia, Belize and Russia. Countries like Malaysia, Chile and Peru have set up…

201007.19
Off
1

The Hard Truth About Software Licensing

Ericka Chickowski, Entrpreneur, 7/19/2010 You think software is expensive? Wait until you start using it for free. The fees add up when businesses are caught using pirated or improperly licensed software. And groups such as the Business Software Alliance and the Software & Information Industry Association are on the hunt for offenders. But many companies…