James Bryce
THE Junta de Andalucia has agreed to pay Microsoft €12m after being caught using unlicensed software.
The computer giant is to receive the record payout after the regional authority was caught using illegal licenses.
The Junta has confirmed the piracy issue and accepted the out of court fee as a ‘reasonable amount’.
The cost of the software had it been licensed would have been around €27m.
Now PP boss Juan Ignacio Zoido is demanding to know who is responsible for the fraud.
He insisted the case set a very bad example for the region, which according to Microsoft is one of the worst abusers of software licences.
Which Junta?
Honestly, who is surprised by this? At least many town halls are trying to use open source alternatives.
Have they not heard of open source?
Unless some other payment has been made, simple arithmetic says that Junta De Andalucia has made a profit of 15 million euros from their piracy. Not bad, well worth the embarrassment. No wonder they see it as a “reasonable amount” Bit like a shoplifter offering to pay for half of what he’s pinched and having his offer accepted.
I can see why Government Officials don’t flinch at fines imposed for their acts – the fines get paid out of the Tax payers money held by the Governments, NOT out of Officials’ personal wallets. There’s no accountability for them.
Story line: do a taxpayer-paid investigation, say “I’m sorry”
then, back to “normal” since taxpayers forget before next Election
Question – if the Junta was legally to have paid 27MM Euros for the MS software, but took it “off license” and only paid a court ordered Fine of 12 MM Euros to MS – does the Junta get to KEEP & USE the UNlicensed software after the Fine is paid?
Summary: 27MM legal cost – 12MM illegal fine = 15 MM “Benefit”
If they get to “keep & use” after 12MM payment, crime does pay