According to a recent survey by PC World Business (PCWB) nearly half of all SMEs in Britain are lacking any form of software licensing policy and most are unaware of the legal obligations of having software licenses.

View the latest Press Releases : Taking the Fight Against Piracy to the Next Level

Virtualisation and Grid Computing
Recently The Federation co-sponsored a webinar with Grid Computing Now! on the subject of Virtualisation and Grid: a fundamental challenge to the software licensing model?
The event was facilitated by Ian Osborne, Project Director of Grid Computing Now! with contributions from Dave Gittins of Capgemini, Mark Cresswell of Scalable Software and Neil Sanderson of Microsoft.

Click here to see the presentations

The Federation was the world’s first anti-piracy organisation working to protect the intellectual property of software publishers. It was formed in 1984 and its’ initial remit was to lobby Parliament for changes in the law which resulted in ‘a computer program’ being included in the definition of a ‘literary work’ in the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Although lobbying is still part of the The Federation’s aim its’ activities have broadened over the years such that it now addresses the misuse, overuse and theft of software intellectual property in the following ways;

Channel Exp 2008

Come and meet the Federation team
at Channel Expo 21st-22nd May, on
Stand E66 and find out how we work
with the Channel to educate the
market about the benefits of
Software Asset Management,
Software License Management best
practice and the perils
of non-compliance.

Visit the Channel Expo site at
www.channelexpo.co.uk
to book an appointment
or drop by Stand E66.

• Utilising civil and criminal processes.
• Lobbying Parliament to strengthen the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act including increasing Director’s liability under the Act.
• Educating organisations through the FAST Standard for Software Compliance (FSSC1-2004).
• Education through schools and universities.
• Increasing awareness of software intellectual property theft within the user community by a continuous programme of press, television and radio interviews and articles.

Are you a software user? If so, on this site you will find information about the relevant laws, types of software theft and how you can help us. Click here to go to the Anti-Piracy section.

If you are a software publisher or involved in other aspects of the industry as a reseller, lawyer or service provider, click here to find out about the benefits of membership and how you can join The Federation.

For any other information please contact info@fast.org.uk

‘The Growing Value Of Support, 21st to 22nd May 2008

TSANet SMF 2008 is dedicated to support professionals in Europe. At TSANet’s SMF 2008, delegates will have the opportunity to be inspired, gain new perspectives, learn about future developments affecting support and service professionals, as well as network with industry peers, exchanging ideas and experiences at this thought-provoking forum.

This year’s conference has a great line up of speakers, guaranteed to deliver value throughout this unique two day event:

• Market research specialist, Stephen Martin, Dynamic Markets
• Ian Osborne, Project Director for Intellect
• Tracey Rawling Church, Marketing director for Kyocera-Mita
• Established journalist and technology writer, David Bicknell
• ITIL expert, Michelle Hales (Connectsphere)
• Sarah Wootton from FAST Corporate Services Ltd
• TSANet partner, itSMF
• Personal development guru, Daryl Scott

SMF 2008 is taking place in the historical Ditton Manor, part of CA’s European Headquarters. This beautiful manor house sits at the centre of a fine 200 acre estate created in a traditional English landscape style, with fine views over the moated island to parkland, woodland and lakes.

For further details relating to the event, please register via the TSANet website: http://www.tsanet.org/world/newpublic/Events/may_08.asp or call/email the conference coordinator, Charlotte Hicks on 01189 001134 or charlotte@c8consulting.co.uk.

London, 2nd July 2008, AM session

Competitive pressures in software-enabled industries and the need to get new products to market ever more quickly mean that corporate use of Open Source Software is now the norm.
Open Source is a boon to the CIO, but what are the legal risks? What's the proportionate response for internal procedures and for dealing with suppliers and distribution?
Richard Kemp and Mark Henley, two of the UK's leading experts on Open Source legal issues, offer practical guidance on how best to maximise the benefit and minimise the risks of using Open Source Software.

Agenda

• Positioning the issues
• Current legal issues
• Source code auditing in practice
• Case study
• Discussion, case study answers, Q&A

This FREE seminar is being hosted by Kemp Little in conjunction with The Federation.

For more information or to register for your place, please contact the FAST Events Team on 01628 760354 or email events@fast.org

TSANet Europe's Support Managers Forum (SMF 2008)
22nd May.

Free 1/2 Day seminar on Open Source Software
2nd July, London.

Federation Against Software Theft Limited (by guarantee)
York House
18 York Road
Maidenhead
SL6 1SF

Registered Number: 1821298 (England)
VAT Registration No. 404 5635 70

Tel: +44 (0)1628 622121
Fax: +44 (0)1628 760338
Email : info@fast.org