BSA Presentation? (was Re: Ernie Ball Link)

[Tom Snell]

Robert Bushman wrote:

>Thanks Derek!
>
>I think "BSA/FBI Licensing Raids - Is Your Corporation
>Safe?", or something like that would be a fantastic
>presentation topic for IF2. It would be a nice opportunity
>for some info handouts as well. Anybody want to take
>this one?
>
>Bob
>
Here's a link to the BSA's press release on the "voluntary software 
audits" in Arizona (read: raids in a velvet glove due to disgruntled 
employee "songbird" or other nefarious scenario):

http://www.bsa.org/usa/press/newsreleases/2002-01-16.854.phtml

These local examples should be hammered home to every company with ears 
and a tight budget.  The most pathetic comment was from the EVP of Ops. 
of one of the Phoenix companies, who said his company was "happy that we 
were able to work with the BSA to resolve the unintentional licensing 
issues identified by our audit".......excuse me, but if I were the owner 
or an investor in that company, and I'd just had to cough up $65K to 
cover my ass outside of court, I wouldn't be "happy": I'd be birddogging 
anything that didn't say "Microsoft" on the box.  Yes, presentations do 
need to be positive, but a little fear of losing major cash over 
licensing issues, which are always difficult to control anyway, would 
help (and already is helping) to push folks toward open source.  Ernie 
Ball is a great example, and we have examples right here in Phoenix as 
well (Maybe we should get the Presidents of the Phoenix companies that 
got stung to get special invitations...<grin>)......

Tom