The most common mistake we encounter in software audits is the failure to compile and produce accurate installation information. Like all technology projects, collecting the information to produce in response to a request for an audit can be very complicated and time consuming. To begin the audit process, it is necessary for the company to…
One of the most controversial tactics the software policing agencies use when calculating its settlement demands is its practice of unbundling software suites such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Suite. Unbundling occurs when the target of an agency audit is unable to provide acceptable proof of purchase for one or more installation of a…
If your company licenses products to third parties under the Microsoft Service Provider License Agreement (SPLA), you may receive a request to perform a self assessment and provide a certification of compliance to Microsoft. The SPLA self-assessment audit is a new audit flavor that is unlike the independent audits Microsoft has historically used to audit…
Modern financial history is chock full of embarrassing audit scandals, which caused executives and corporate brand names severe damage from intentional fabrication of revenues, or creating imaginary profits, or claiming assets that turn out to be a mirage. There’s a new scary cousin of traditional financial audits known as the software audit. It’s increasingly become…
Don’t be in the dark on how to prepare and respond to software audits. An increasing number of companies face software audits initiated by software publishers and their trade associations, such as BSA | The Software Alliance and the Software & Information Industry Association. Most companies are totally unprepared; many underestimate their exposure and are…
Traditionally, software audits were conducted by gaining access to software installations and reviewing entitlements. Theoretically, if a customer is using a cloud product accessed by login credentials, then audits wouldn’t be an issue because the software publisher would be in complete control of the customers’ access to its systems. But, audits can still be a…
Kristin Burnham, CIO.com, 04/30/2018 When software vendor auditors push too far, enterprise technology leaders must be prepared to push back. In an extreme case, the food company Mars (best known for Snickers and M&M’s candies) filed a lawsuit petitioning the court to order Oracle’s auditors to back off. Following the initial “license review” order from Oracle in…
Shrinking IT budgets 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 if they are in compliance with software licenses and copyright laws. In addition to developing internal enforcement operations, many publishers have engaged…
The ITAM Review US Conference 2017 Software audits have become routine as publishers have proven that compliance claims get customers’ attention more than sales proposals. Most software license disputes are settled out of court, but what happens when you cannot negotiate a settlement with the publisher or one of its trade associations (BSA | The…
Boutique intellectual property and technology law firm, Scott & Scott, LLP, will move to new space in Granite Place, Southlake’s brand-new, full-service building this summer.
