VES Fights VFX Software Piracy

VES and the BUSINESS SOFTWARE ALLIANCE (BSA)
PARTNER to FIGHT PIRACY and ENSURE COMPLIANCE by VISUAL EFFECTS HOUSES

The Visual Effects Society has partnered with The Business Software Alliance (www.bsa.org), the largest and most international IT industry group – with policy, legal and/ or educational programs in 80 countries, on a joint pilot program to promote a voluntary software license compliance program. The goal is to fight software piracy that is rampant in the VFX community and to level the playing field from a competitive vantage point.

Working together with the BSA, we will seek to promote voluntary compliance with intellectual property laws and software licensing agreements around the world. As part of the pilot effort, the program will initially be rolled out to India, Malaysia and Taiwan and the rest of the world in 2013.

The program runs off the License Management Registry 360 (LMR360) portal that was developed by the Washington DC-based BSA in concert with the VES Software Compliance Working Group.

"Legitimate companies shouldn’t have to compete against companies who operate with one legal software license that might be used by hundreds of artists at their facility,” said VES Executive Director Eric Roth.

There are various levels of oversight for the program, from self-declaration through fully audited verification and this effort will allow visual effects facilities to show that they are in compliance with legal software requirements, thus being able to differentiate themselves in the market place with those companies that don't participate in the program.

BSA is the voice of the world's software industry and its hardware partners on a wide range of business and policy affairs. Its mission is to promote conditions in which the information technology industry can thrive and contribute to the prosperity, security and quality of life of all people. For more information on the LMR360, please visit www.LMR360.org.