Colorado Governor Issues Executive Order On Computer Software Piracy.

Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers

ASPEN, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 13, 2000

Order will require state agencies to use only legal, licensed

software

Governor Bill Owens today demonstrated Colorado's commitment to the use of legal, licensed computer software throughout the state government by signing an Executive Order (EO) on Computer Software Piracy.

The Order will apply to all official state agencies, as well as all third parties doing business with the State of Colorado. Colorado joins California and Nevada in issuing orders that require state entities to use only legal, licensed software, and to put into place software management programs.

"This Order signifies the Owens Administration's commitment to promoting legal software -- the engine that drives the growth of the software industry, critical to the state of Colorado where high tech employment ranks 12th in the U.S.," said the Business Software Alliance's Vice President of Public Policy Becca Gould.

"Government agencies are among the largest users of computer software and must set a positive example by mandating the use of legal and licensed software."

Worldwide, the use of illegal software costs nearly $11 billion annually -- $2.8 billion in the United States alone. In 1998, proliferation of illegal software in the United States resulted in the loss of 109,000 jobs, $4.5 billion in wages and nearly $991 million in tax revenue.

According to a recent industry study, the piracy rate in Colorado is 27 percent resulting in lost jobs and tax revenues throughout the state.

"The message from the Governor is a strong one," said Gould. "Colorado is the third state to require strong software management programs in government agencies. The Order challenges businesses and other states to promote jobs and economic growth by ensuring the use of only legal and licensed software."

In October 1998, President Clinton issued an executive order requiring federal agencies to use legal software. Since that time, similar orders have been issued in other countries including Colombia, Thailand and China.

Proper software management can help government agencies save money by eliminating redundancies and underutilized software, taking advantage of volume license discounts offered by many software publishers, qualifying for free or reduced priced upgrades upon registration and protecting against the introduction of computer viruses.

Since 1988, the Business Software Alliance (BSA) has been the voice of the world's leading software developers before governments and with consumers in the international marketplace. Its members represent the fastest growing industry in the world.

BSA educates computer users on software copyrights; advocates public policy that fosters innovation and expands trade opportunities; and fights software piracy.

BSA members include Adobe, Apple Computer, Autodesk, Bentley Systems, Compaq, Corel Corporation, IBM, Intel, Intuit, Lotus Development, Macromedia, Microsoft, Network Associates, Novell, Sybase, Symantec and Walker Digital. BSA websites: www.bsa.org; www.nopiracy.com.