How To Handle BSA Audits Letters

By Joyce Kelly


Most people make a mistake of overreacting whenever things do not seem to go as planned. When one overreacts, the chances are that they might end up making the situation worse than it is in the first place. One of the incidents that call for no panicking is getting off the BSA audits letter. Though it means that you need to go through a process to be cleared, the best thing to do is approach the situation while thinking critically.

It is important to understand what it means. Well, it stands for Business Software Alliance, and it is a trade association. It is a leading advocate for the international software industry. It gives the members a compliance program that is used in the promotion of legal software and also advocates for the policies that are used to foster software use and advocates for the public policies that promote technology and drive the growth in the digital economy.

The body works by guarding their clients against the theft of software and in case something is not right, they will take legal action end user license infringement. They have a large membership among them being the top software companies in the world.

When you receive the document from the BSA, you need to read it and take the time to understand. Note that you cannot be able to resolve the issue if you are not certain where the problem originated from. If you find the letter hard to understand, you need to make sure that you have hired an IP lawyer that will help you with the situation and contribute to ensuring that you are on the right track.

At times, this is something that might end up catching you off guard. If this is the case, then you need to make sure that you have taken the time to find the best possible solution and representative. However, you will be required to inform the audit company that you will need some time to make your case.

A common mistake that people do is to go out and buy the software, you should not do this as BSA will look at the receipt, and the invoices of the software acquired. In case you have bought it after the date that, you received the letter then this will not be considered as software, which is authorized.

It could be that you were using the counterfeit software without your knowledge, this can be possible, and an angle you can argue on when you represent your case. However, if you start removing the software, it will appear as though you knew what you were doing and this might end up making the situation worse.

The other thing that you should so is to ensure the confidentially of the information that you are providing to the BSA. You should make sure that it is protected from the chances of it being discoverable during the litigation. You need to keep in mind that most of the reports given to the auditing firm come from former employees. If this is how the firm got the information, you can be sure that they have everything that they need. The best way to go about the situation is to find a reliable lawyer to help you get out of this predicament.




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