Playing Hardball With Software Piracy.

Charges of software piracy aren't getting the kind of attention that Napster, the Internet music site, has been receiving lately for its alleged piracy. But the Business Software Alliance (www.bsa.org) continues to extract settlements from companies it says have failed to license popular software. The settlements aren't huge -- but they're plenty big enough to show up on financial statements.

In late June, for instance, the BSA announced a series of eight pacts, totaling $1.1 million, with companies of varying sizes for using unlicensed software. The biggest was $280,000 agreed to by Aydin Corp. of Horsham, Pa., a manufacturer of electronics and telecommunications equipment. According to the Washington-based BSA, which represents such major software providers as Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, Corel and Symantec, the piracy rate in the U.S. workplace is as high as 25%, with domestic dollar losses estimated at $3.2 billion.

BSA ratcheted up its enforcement efforts with a "sweeps week" in late during which it announced settlements with 20 U.S. companies. And it warns that it plans to stay vigilant. "Unless an organization has a sound software management program -- including centralized record-keeping and acquisitions, internal audits and employee awareness programs -- it is at risk of becoming the target of a BSA investigation," says BSA vice president of enforcement Bob Kruger.