'We are coming to get you’ - The Federation tracks illegal software downloads to individual computers and warns company directors that they may be liable.

Complacency amongst company directors and advanced technology is making software theft rife in the UK. The result - the launch of the second phase of Operation Tracker by the Federation Against Software Theft.

The powerful system – nicknamed the CCTV of the Internet - enables The Federation to trace those making software available illegally and the library of what they have on offer from company connections to the internet. Evidence of this will identify the company from where the file is being shared and allow investigative action by the Federation.

In January of this year, 10 Internet Service Providers were ordered by the High Court to hand over customer details following a 12-month investigation into the covert sharing of software by PC users. This was the culmination of the first phase of Operation Tracker.

Up to 145 of the 150 individuals identified following the Court Order for illegally sharing software over peer-to-peer (P2P) networks have already been targeted. Now The Federation is set to target corporate UK.

Despite the accuracy of Operation Tracker, the emphasis of subsequent action will focus on organisations and send a message to the directors who allow their employees to break the law. However, if there is infringement by individuals on a substantial scale, The Federation will consider acting accordingly. Action by The Federation is primarily to combat the complacency of Directors towards the increasing problem of software piracy that it believes prevails in all sectors of corporate UK, both public and private.

John Lovelock, director general of The Federation commented: "Corporate liability is something that management cannot afford to gloss over - misuse of software is something directors cannot plead ignorance to. If their staff is using the corporate network for illegal activity, those in charge may be liable. Theft is theft and will be treated accordingly.”

The campaign is founded on The Federation's understanding that staff take advantage of their employers' high speed internet access and large storage capabilities in their enterprises for illegal file sharing.

In January 2004, The Federation reinforced its use of criminal proceedings to crack down the misuse of software under s.109 of the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988.

Lovelock concluded: "Our message hasn't changed: installing software unlawfully is wrong and in the words of TV’s Big brother: ‘We are coming to get you’."

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NOTES TO EDITORS

About The Federation
The Federation Against Software Theft became the world’s first software anti-piracy organisation when it was set up in 1984 to lobby Parliament for changes to the copyright law.

Today The Federation’s key remit is enforcement. In particular, it tackles software theft using the sanctions of the copyright legislation, extending from under-licensing (buying fewer licences than the number of copies of the software being used at any one time), to the problem of misuse of the internet. It represents any software publisher member whose intellectual property is being abused, regardless of their size. Often, The Federation will consider attempting to resolve these issues without action. However, it is now committed to criminal prosecutions where the misuse is both flagrant and serious.

The Federation’s own legal expertise is reinforced by its Legal Advisory Group (FLAG), which consists of 25 law firms engaged in IT/IP and operating in the UK and overseas.

The Federation has 160 members from the software publishing industry (including resellers, distributors, audit software providers and consultants).