T 2.28 Violation of copyright

The use of unlicensed software can be a violation of copyright and lead to both civil and criminal penalties.

Agencies and companies where pirate copies are used may be made liable for damages by the copyright owner under corporate liability, irrespective of the type of offence (intention or gross negligence).

Example:

In an organisation a large number of graphical user interfaces were used without the necessary licences. The costs of having them retrospectively licensed, and the damages payable to the copyright owner, far outweighed the cost of the licences.