Send the audit scoping email several weeks before an audit to. That audit consists of a listing of all bsamember software running on company computers and networks, and appropriate documentation of ownershipincluding. Nov 21, 2014 similarly, if the software vendor has a tip that a single item of software is overinstalled, push back if the software vendor auditor requests a selfaudit of all software. This is a sample letter we have used, slightly modified, when responding to a bsa. Corel paint shop pro photo is a digital image editing and management application used by novice and professio nal photographers and photo editors. The bsa is a private company set up by software suppliers, including microsoft, symantec, adobe, corel, autodesk and macromedia, to stamp out software piracy and recoup lost revenue for its members. Corel mediaone is a multimedia software program for organizing and enha ncing photos and video clips that are primarily tak en with a. Microsoft misspelled names of my colleagues and even the letter that pwc. I have no contract or eula with the vendor but it seems we use their products as part of end user devices. How to respond to a bsa or siia software audit letter without.
The questionnaires focus on information technology, audit, and member services. You would end up getting 77 lines per page using 8. Consulted with us financial services and insurance company in a corel softwarelicensing audit. Aires exam software information national credit union. To survive one unscathed youll need a thorough understanding of your licensing requirements.
Coreldraw asking for a license penalty for a job a freelancer. Look up social engineering as a subject to learn more about the logic behind these calls. There are better and worse ways of handling an audit, and if you dont know the difference, your audit experience may be more costly, timeconsuming, and frustrating than it needs to be. For businesses that adhere to government regulations and industry standards, audit management is a critical component of their compliance and risk management strategies. We come under compliance and have to pay lot of money as penalty. The software product may be used only by you on both. Hi all, has anyone here gone through an audit with corel. You can disregard it, which is unwise, or react to it in a number of ways. Similarly, if the software vendor has a tip that a single item of software is overinstalled, push back if the software vendor auditor requests a selfaudit of all software. The ultimate guide to saving your business money by handling your software compliance case without a lawyer this is a general. The bsa or autodesk audit demand letter should be taken as a wake up call and every company should take measures to beef up its sam software asset management practices to ensure all software is properly licensed, not pirated, and all receipts and proofs of purchase are accounted for.
The bsas modus operandi is to send a threatening letter indicating that an investigation has commenced, then offers to forego litigation if the target company provides a selfaudit. Although it seems that now you are using legit one. The word audit is a general term for analysis, and a software audit can consist of several different kinds of. Six steps to completing a software audit and ensuring. You are obliged to support corels audit to the best of your abilities. The typical legal demand letter from the bsa or siia will ask you to audit some or all of their members software. Software audit scoping email template infotech research group. Sample bsa voluntary software audit letter vondran legal. May 11, 2012 if the audit is complete and the customer appears compliant, then the audit is closed.
After 10 days of time 2 police and 1 person from corel visited my office and they checked my system as they have authorisation letter of court. But whether youre winning or losing, the level of support you receive from your team depends on the behavior and attitude of each. Any supplemental software code and supporting materials provided to you as part of support. There is a lot of information out there, mostly from legal firms, regarding how to respond ot a bsa or siia audit letter but not much about responding to a vendor audit. Internal retrieval of facts needed for response letter. Unless you have a written agreement with corel providing. I opened the daily mail to find a letter from the business software alliance indicating that they wanted me to call them to schedule a visit for a. If you havent received a microsoft letter or email announcing an audit request yet, you may still receive one before the end of 2016. Audit software helps organizations plan for, address and mitigate risks that could compromise the safety andor quality of the goods or services they provide. A software audit is the practice of analyzing and observing a piece of software. The aires file layout specifications are found in letter to credit unions 03cu05 opens new window. The designated person initially circulates the inquiry letter to each attorney in the. Use the software audit scoping email template to create an email directed at your external or internal auditors. Tips to responding to a bsa audit letter legal guides avvo.
Software audit clause audit clauses are common in software license agreements, but can differ in terms of specificity of scope, process, timing, fees, and other obligations. Jan 01, 2016 youve received a software licensing audit letter. When they ask you to audit all of your computers, laptops, servers at all. Our client was pleased when it received a letter from the bsa indicating that. Sometimes software audits are conducted for legal reasons e. Jun 27, 2017 then make sure to follow the guidelines listed below on how to perform a basic software audit.
There is a lot of information out there, mostly from legal firms. Technically you did violate laws and tos while using pirated software. I am in the process of crafting a response but thought i would see if anyone on the forum had any adivce, tips, or even a sample response letter. Preparation for a software quality audit sqas96001 section 2. Some types of software audits involve looking at software for licensing compliance.
How to respond to a bsa or siia software audit letter without an. Have you ever received a letter that began something like this. A good place to begin is with your purchasing records. How to respond to a bsa or siia software audit letter. Unless they come with legal orderpolice, no one can enter your office for an audit forcibly.
Perform a basic software audit by following this list of highlevel guidelines about how. For many, this is the most difficult step in the software audit process. Software audits can vary in terms of, and not limited to. While the past actions are not condoned, at least you bought the legit version. If lets say adobe doesnt find anything, they will keep a log of other products saying these companies come under nasscom and we will inform others. Print out this incredibly valuable software audit checklist. What will happen if adobe found that i have used piracy. Except if located in china, india, indonesia, or vietnam, private users and business users of aftershot, coreldraw graphics suite, coreldraw technical suite, corelcad, particleshop, corel painter, corel paintshop pro, and corel wordperfect office that have a second computing device e.
How to survive a software licensing audit informationweek. Sample letter responding to a bsa voluntary software license request. Unless you have a written agreement with corel providing for. Coreldraw, microsoft office 365, oracle database, etc. Any supplemental software code and supporting materials provided to you as part of support services provided by corel for the product shall be considered part of the product and subject to the terms and conditions of this license. Consulted with us financial services and insurance company in a corel software licensing audit. Corel will respect your legitimate interests, the protection of confidential information and applicable law. I received an audit request from corel wanting to know what software products we had installed on pcs along with pc names, manufacturer, and software version. If your company is facing a software audit, you need experienced counsel to protect your business. They provide oem sw and i just received an audit letter from them. Gather invoices and organize them according to software manufacturer. Us financial services and insurance company in a corel softwarelicensing audit. Oct 12, 2014 but what i want to impart on all business owners with this blog is that when you are facing an allegation of unlicensed software licensing, you have serious legal exposure not to mention exposure to your trademarks and your brand that you need to keep in mind in deciding how you want to respond to a bsa audit letter.
Contracts with software publishers have audit clauses, the right to come and audit you periodically at your own cost. Once adobe comes in, microsoft will follow, and then corel draw. We may audit your software usage for antipiracy purposes, to verify a valid registration, and to identify if new updates are available for your computer prior to. I need some help regarding the eula for roxio creator starter 12. But what i want to impart on all business owners with this blog is that when you are facing an allegation of unlicensed software licensing, you have serious legal exposure not to mention. Id like to also give them the model of the pc as well. Your company either signed this and agreed to it or will need to fight. Here are some characteristics of these software audit folks, which may well be worth noting. Check all systems at your office regularly for pirated software and content. So if you dont have adobe in your system, but if you have corel, you will get reported for that also. Background sometimes configmgr admins are asked to put together a report that lists all of the software installed on each computer. It is known for producing software titles such as coreldraw, and for acquiring aftershot pro, paintshop pro, painter, video studio and.
If the audit is complete and the customer appears compliant, then the audit is closed. Mar 12, 2016 here are the top 20 things to think about when you are thinking about how to respond to a software audit letter from the bsa, siia, microsoft, autodesk, adobe or other software publisher. Audit will not unreasonably interfere with your business. How to handle a software audit software audits are an irritating and time consuming part of life. Within 45 days of written notification, you agree to comply with companys audit. Apr 27, 2018 after 10 days of time 2 police and 1 person from corel visited my office and they checked my system as they have authorisation letter of court. I have no contract or eula with the vendor but it seems we use their products. Corel will not conduct more than one 1 audit per year. This can be an intimidating task to take on for some businesses, but it doesnt have to be. This law firm has been retained by the bsa the software alliance in connection with its investigation of possible instances of illegal duplication of certain software companies proprietary software products. Responding to software audits by the bsa, siia and other. This is a sample letter we have used, slightly modified, when responding to a bsa software audit letter from a representative of the bsa. Here are the top 20 things to think about when you are thinking about how to respond to a software audit letter from the bsa, siia, microsoft, autodesk, adobe or other software publisher.
78 302 1247 794 606 344 1016 186 1340 793 834 1277 226 923 812 714 374 149 572 1028 788 1365 934 717 1492 851 1232 462 128 164 1009 1482 1108 1179 604 1162 385 234 977 844 276 793