For the last six after since finishing school, I've worked for numerous employers in Manhattan. Some nice, others tyrannical. What surprises me the most is the correlation between those that ran an honest business and how fairly they treated their employees.
I also found a strong correlation with employers that were so focused on the bottom line that they had no hesitation in running illegal copies of Autocad, MS Office, Rhino, etc., as well as laying off employees at the drop of a hat (i.e., not giving someone time to collect work for portfolio/employment purposes, no severance- this pre-recession).
I sit here today, having been unemployed for well over a year, looking for means to make ends meet. My understanding is that the Business Software Alliance (BSA.org), who is responsible for busting employers for using pirated software, also gives out rewards for turning them in.
My question is this...has anybody had any experiences ratting out former employers for doing this? If so, how lengthy is the process? Is it worth for me to do so, or should I just let sleeping dogs lie?
As one of my more honest employers once told me, all it takes is one disgruntled employee to ruin your entire operation.
Think about the ethics of it. Would you really want to be a snitch for some dollars? And will it mean otherwise? Words travel, would you like to be known as a traitor? What could possibly be the benefit for you, except for some mere money?
chicarchitect,
I think you should do it. Not for the money, but for justice! It's what the blood suckers deserve. You are not doing anything wrong by reporting them. What they did is illegal!
It's true softwares cost a lot, but that doesn't justify stealing. Let along the audacity to treat your colleagues like garbage while breaking the law.
In this market I would be hesitant to snitch, a lot of innocent employees will probably be laid off as a result of fines and having to actually pay for software. I know I could shut down my former employee with 1 phone call as well, it would ruin the firm and displace all of their employees, all who then would be competing for the same jobs with me.
Depends on how badly they treated you ..and if like paperboy said if the people there are worth saving (some employees can be just as bad as employers)
If they owe you money i would use this as a bargaining chip
If you do go through with it... i would make sure your anonymous ...and that this cant be traced or even suspected that it was you that said something
i have two opinions to software - as a student it should be free as we are training their products -
once it goes to practice -- if they can open the door with a sign that says we will provide you this service it comes with a cost - its ethics - call them on it -
The word will be out on the street that you ratted out an employer, and nobody will hire you if they find out. As good as it might feel to do it, don't.
Do you have any pirated music on your iPod or computer? Just checking. :)
But if they were harasses about the rules and all things legal... well, there's no honor amongst thieves.
My (crazy, mentally ill, pompous and douchebag) opinion is this:
1) Pirating software for personal use-- be it an educational, intellectual or even an importing/exporting pursuit-- is not that big of a deal.
2) While media and software (tools) are both someone else's finished sellable products, software is sold to make more media.
I frown on pirating "end user" media... meaning pirating anything from music to massings to hdri maps is a no-no.
Pirating software, however, is slightly different. I don't think Adobe would have the market share that it has if it didn't continually put out easy-to-pirate software. There are much better image editing software programs out there but they don't have the ease of use or prolific user base that Adobe programs do.
So, in some regards, getting the tools out there and getting people comfortable with using them ultimately means more people will buy them if they use them legitimately.
3) Pirating on the commercial level (legitimately) is wrong.
For many reasons... but the biggest reason I posit is fair competition. How many offices actually have legitimate software? How many offices actually balance their books well enough to be able to afford legitimate software?
My portfolio is "pirate" free and it sucks. I mean, it's an assortment of white "boxes" made in sketchup with free copy of plugins and rendered with an old ghetto copy of V-Ray I bought for next to nothing off someone who switched to a Mac.
But often, I see all these wonderful portfolios filled with personal projects using all sorts of lovely pieces of software-- I literally saw one portfolio (magnificent) with everything from fistfuls of parametric blobs to CATIA analysis to complex ArcGIs maps to Revit.
For this person (who seems to be both out of work and out of school for at least 2+ years), they seem able to afford about $35,000 a year in annual software subscriptions.
Like lying on a resume, it seems to be common practice that no one really addresses.
I know companies who steal everything from fonts to stock photos. And these companies couldn't afford to be in business without theft. This is actually the reason I won't go back into the graphic design industry is that I know I can't compete legitimately. I also know I can't talk very many clients into buying stock photography for their various graphic design needs.
For all the people who are saying that chicarchitect should snitch: are all of you completely clean when it comes to software, music, games and films? Did you pay for your home copy of autocad, do you have an official license for Rhino? Did you pay for every single mp3 you own?
If not, what would you say if someone would snitch on you? You'd probably say that this is not a fair comparison, since you are only a private person, not a company. But that means that you yourself are declaring a level of illegality that simply isn't there - both versions of piracy are pretty much the same. Or is the fact that chicarchitect got treated badly enough for some sort of vindictive act? In that case, I hope I never do you wrong in any way, otherwise you'll probably report me for having downloaded an mp3...
again, I think a lot of it comes down to how much will they pay you for this information
I cant imagine its actually worth it
if its for vindictive reasons for how you were treated when you were there, you shouldnt need any monetary reward
if its for the "ethics" of why a company shouldnt be using pirated software......eh.
hopefully you didnt actually have any friends working there, because you will be getting them in trouble or fired as well
if you're an office and you use pirated software, you shouldn't expect people to pay you for your work either, and of course, you wouldn't mind if someone "borrows" images from your website and pawns them off as their own.
This is like your gf breaks up with you, you are angry, so you go and tell her new boyfriend that she on cheated on you.
usernametaken has got it right
Would you really want to be responsible for ruining so many people's lively hood, possibly careers for a few (presumably next to nothing) dollars?
to - let's consider how many architecture offices scan models photos from magazines and use them in renderings, without any usage permission...that'd cover most of the profession
As much as it is unethical for a firm to have stolen software the moment you use it, you loose your ethical credibility. Everyone has a choice to leave that firm the moment they discover they are using stolen software. It's like smoking crack and claiming your innocent because someone handed you a pipe or worse, smoking crack and calling the cops on the dealer.
would you also rat out this guy if he was nice and/or a friend? - if not, you're just seeking revenge.
would you also rat out this guy if there wasn't any money in it for you? - if not, you are just chasing an easy dollar.
would you also rat out this guy if he downloaded the software for private use, not for an office? - if not, you are setting your own moral standards - making a sketchy frame of reference.
If you didn't say "yes" to all three things above, it has nothing much to do with morals and ethics...
I agree with Paperboy here. The ethical breach already occurred and you were already complicit in that breach. If you were to turn that employer in (and yourself, by proxy), some might see it just as sour grapes.
What you could do is just threaten to turn them in. Just to fuck with them, although you could certainly blackmail them too, though I wouldn't recommend that. You can just say, I'm sending all this info (screenshots, or whatever actual evidence you have) to BSA blah blah, make them stress over it. Donno, depends on how strong your evidence is, and how bad you want to punish them.
I think the reason they go after companies more than individuals for software piracy is because businesses generally have more assets than one person. However, I do think software piracy is wrong, even though I've done it. When you can't afford thousands of dollars for tuition to use it at a school, or buy it yourself, but you simply HAVE to know this software to get any kind of job, they really leave people with no choice.
The reward (getting a good job) far outweighs any risk (getting sued or whatever).
I'd avoid threats. That is something that could really hurt you in the future. While this person/company may have not been great to you, they have a business, which means that they have succeeded to some level, have connections, etc.
Burning bridges because you are upset is just short sighted. Reputations last a long, long time. As you can see by people's posts, most people won't look too kindly on snitching.
There are some pretty slippery ethical standards being discussed in this thread. Lots of personal rationalization going on to justify why it's ok for "me" to pirate software but it's not okay for "the other guy". I'm not convinced ethics are quite so maleable.
As to the OP's main question, I'm with usernametaken on this one. I'm convinced chicarchitect wouldn't have opened this thread had s/he not felt badly treated by the firm in question. It's unlikely we'd be seeing the same ethical purity were the OP still employed there or otherwise still connected - emotionally or otherwise - with that firm. This smacks of little more than a petty vendetta, which rarely works out for anymore.
Move on with your life, dude. This isn't going to fix what ails you.
can i just add, that bsa seems to be making it real easy for people to do this, but the reality is much more complicated. most likely what will happen is that the firm will be notified, and that firm will be scared shitless into purchasing the software in question, after having been warned, and you'll get nothing. if however, the firm has had a pattern or disregards the notification, you'll most likely be deposed, need to testify - exposing yourself to all sorts of shit - and then, when the fines are meted out, then you'll get paid. of course all of that should take, i don't know, years?
I'm with the crowd on this one, ratting out employers is tough and I would be cautious to do it. I debated doing something of the sorts, never did, and am glad I didn't. Someone else did, nothing much happened. This case wasn't software related though, other ethics were involved though.
I dont think the OP is claiming its all about ethics or anything though, as they said they were trying to make ends meet
besides, if it was really an ethical situation for them, they would have ratted out the firm while he was there using the software, not after he was fired
and i agree, b3t
To recieve any worthwhile compensation, it will be a lengthy process that will not be private
and they'll get blacklisted from other firms. Don't think anyone would want to hire a snitch, even if they had legal software (who knows, maybe they'd contact the irs about a personal lunch being written off as business)
personally - if it bothers you that much, next time you are working someplace let them know - but I wouldn't use this information as retribution. if you were ok with it when you were working there or it bothered you and you said and did nothing, then you are just as culpable.
I've said something at two offices when I discovered they had pirated software - both times they were surprised (or pretended to be surprised) that they had it (they blamed it on some intern - one guy actually thought their legit software had rendering capabilities) - and they bought proper licenses or stopped using the software altogether. if you encounter it in an office, you should say something to the effect "hey, I thought you should know that x application isn't a legit license" then if they are actually honest and it was truly an intern who installed it, then they can take action - or - they'll know that you're on to them and most likely will shape up.
You shouldn't feel scared to let someone know that they're doing something illegal - but make sure you're extremely nice about it - say stuff like "i'm concerned about us getting in trouble for such and such" or "did you know?" - act like they might not know that they're doing something wrong - and make sure it's in writing...
it bugs me that you can get cash awards for weasel-y accusing people of shit - why can't people be ethical and stick up for their beliefs on their own? what the hell is someone going to do, fire you? shit's on them if you act professional about it and leave a paper-trail.
I'm amazed at how many people defend software piracy here. No wonder it is such a struggle for firms like the one I work at which does purchase all its software legitimately. I guess it really doesn't matter because eventually all of our jobs are going to be relocated to some office in China operating entirely on pirated software with no fear of retribution.
...and after you've used said pirated software while you were employed there. It would've been one thing if you had taken the personal and professional risk of reporting piracy while you were still employed there... you'd be a whistle-blower. Quite another to leave after you've benefited yourself from the employer's piracy, and then, from afar, go "nananana".
what is the ethical thing in your mind to do? I think only you can answer that.
however that said software companies aren't really making easy for folks to afford their software... $6000 for software is harsh no matter how you slice it
let karma settle things.....its not a good thing to hold negative energy in your body, it will only draw more....move on with life and worry about yourself....
and that's $6k for one license, for one computer. Add the Creative Suite, VRay, 3D Studio, Office, etc., etc. and you are easily pushing 10-20k per computer
then you have renew licenses every year or two to be current or compatible (don't get me started on 3D Studios lack of backwards compatibility!!).
Those that steal software degrade the Professional Practice of Architecture. Let them burn in an Engineer Designed Hell! Folks, if these people go away the Profession will only grow in a better way. The Architectural Firms which practice within the relm of the law will have less competition and be able to grow their firms when the scumbags firms fall by the way. So those of you who would rather not work for a scum bag architectural firm will not have to work for one because they will be gone. I say do what is right and moral and forget about the economic gain. However, you do run the risk of entanglement with the United States Judicial System. So do have your "T's" crossed and your "i"s dotted.
A company I worked for years ago bought out our main competitor. Just prior to the buyout, a couple of the competitors firms employees struck out on their own. They had been trusted members of the firm but they were disgruntled. The owner who sold the firm didn't really pay that much attention to details and somehow the former employees took the disks of all the Autocad software. In the past Autodesk didn't pay as much attention to who actually owned the licenses, and these former empoyers had signed for the software from the vendor.
So as a way to put the parent firm (the one I worked for) in jeapordy, they turmed us in for using pirated software. All the remaining employees of the buyout firm still (innocently) had the Autocad software on their computers but couldn't produce any documentaion that they had a license. I am pretty sure Autodesk is more diligent in tracking who owns what these days.
The bottom line is that the firm I worked for. the one buying the other firm, had buy 7 new seats of Autocad at full value to keep from being sued by Autodesk. This ended up costing about a quarter of the price of buying out the whole firm. Again, I think the licenses are much more regulated and degined now days, but that was a total rip off in the way it went down.
the cost of this stuff is outrageous, especially if your just starting out. What is more f'ed up is they will give you a discount if you buy in bulk; the people who buy in bulk dont need the discount. Its the startups. These software companies should extend the student version price for at least 10 years beyond graduating. Or maybe even give you the first few copies for free and just pay a small subscription fee every year.
What is this profession coming to... the last thing we should do is rat on each other. Sell lemonade or something if you need money, don’t be a snitch
I worked for a company that was possibly snitched (the time I was there) and although our boss was a jerk, I didnt think it was right for the fired employee to become opportunistic in this aspect. Sure, you get your $$$, but as someone explained, there are other lives people at stake here. I don't condone software piracy, especially for big firms, I'm not comfortable with bringing down a whole company with a whole bunch of people depending on it for personal gain. It's not worth it. Besides, if your former employer figures out that it was you who snitched, think of the long term implications to your career. These bosses mostl likely know one another and who would want to hire a snitch in the future???
well said, sameolddoctor. i think it's a bit silly when people decry software and media pirating.
the t.v. show southpark did an episode on piracy that was pretty poignant. it was a parody of the christmas carol - the city cop showed Stan the houses of britney spears, and other absurdly rich artists/executives, and lamented that
"...because people pirate Britney's music, she's been forced to sell her Gulfstream 4 private jet, and buy a mere Gulfstream 3 private jet. I mean, the Gulfstream 3 doesn't even have a remote control for its surround sound entertainment system! Unless piracy is stopped, Britney will have a tragic future, etc."
Its even funnier when the 'professionals' in the crowd here say that firms using pirated software have a competitive advantage and are not playing on an even playing field. In the end its your work and contacts that matter in turning a profit, not the amount you spent in buying legit software.
Ratting out your former employer for using pirated software
Hi folks,
For the last six after since finishing school, I've worked for numerous employers in Manhattan. Some nice, others tyrannical. What surprises me the most is the correlation between those that ran an honest business and how fairly they treated their employees.
I also found a strong correlation with employers that were so focused on the bottom line that they had no hesitation in running illegal copies of Autocad, MS Office, Rhino, etc., as well as laying off employees at the drop of a hat (i.e., not giving someone time to collect work for portfolio/employment purposes, no severance- this pre-recession).
I sit here today, having been unemployed for well over a year, looking for means to make ends meet. My understanding is that the Business Software Alliance (BSA.org), who is responsible for busting employers for using pirated software, also gives out rewards for turning them in.
My question is this...has anybody had any experiences ratting out former employers for doing this? If so, how lengthy is the process? Is it worth for me to do so, or should I just let sleeping dogs lie?
As one of my more honest employers once told me, all it takes is one disgruntled employee to ruin your entire operation.
Think about the ethics of it. Would you really want to be a snitch for some dollars? And will it mean otherwise? Words travel, would you like to be known as a traitor? What could possibly be the benefit for you, except for some mere money?
chicarchitect,
I think you should do it. Not for the money, but for justice! It's what the blood suckers deserve. You are not doing anything wrong by reporting them. What they did is illegal!
It's true softwares cost a lot, but that doesn't justify stealing. Let along the audacity to treat your colleagues like garbage while breaking the law.
In this market I would be hesitant to snitch, a lot of innocent employees will probably be laid off as a result of fines and having to actually pay for software. I know I could shut down my former employee with 1 phone call as well, it would ruin the firm and displace all of their employees, all who then would be competing for the same jobs with me.
Depends on how badly they treated you ..and if like paperboy said if the people there are worth saving (some employees can be just as bad as employers)
If they owe you money i would use this as a bargaining chip
If you do go through with it... i would make sure your anonymous ...and that this cant be traced or even suspected that it was you that said something
i have two opinions to software - as a student it should be free as we are training their products -
once it goes to practice -- if they can open the door with a sign that says we will provide you this service it comes with a cost - its ethics - call them on it -
Same thing happened at BIG. Someone was fired, got pissed off, and snitched on Bjarke for all his pirated software.
Just thought I would share.
I say, don't do it.
is the money worth it? How much of a "reward" are we actually talking about
its quite vindictive, though, to be fair, nothing actually wrong with snitching, as they are using illegal software
The word will be out on the street that you ratted out an employer, and nobody will hire you if they find out. As good as it might feel to do it, don't.
Do you have any pirated music on your iPod or computer? Just checking. :)
I wouldn't rat them out if they never drug tested.
Schoolyard etiquette and all that.
But if they were harasses about the rules and all things legal... well, there's no honor amongst thieves.
My (crazy, mentally ill, pompous and douchebag) opinion is this:
1) Pirating software for personal use-- be it an educational, intellectual or even an importing/exporting pursuit-- is not that big of a deal.
2) While media and software (tools) are both someone else's finished sellable products, software is sold to make more media.
I frown on pirating "end user" media... meaning pirating anything from music to massings to hdri maps is a no-no.
Pirating software, however, is slightly different. I don't think Adobe would have the market share that it has if it didn't continually put out easy-to-pirate software. There are much better image editing software programs out there but they don't have the ease of use or prolific user base that Adobe programs do.
So, in some regards, getting the tools out there and getting people comfortable with using them ultimately means more people will buy them if they use them legitimately.
3) Pirating on the commercial level (legitimately) is wrong.
For many reasons... but the biggest reason I posit is fair competition. How many offices actually have legitimate software? How many offices actually balance their books well enough to be able to afford legitimate software?
My portfolio is "pirate" free and it sucks. I mean, it's an assortment of white "boxes" made in sketchup with free copy of plugins and rendered with an old ghetto copy of V-Ray I bought for next to nothing off someone who switched to a Mac.
But often, I see all these wonderful portfolios filled with personal projects using all sorts of lovely pieces of software-- I literally saw one portfolio (magnificent) with everything from fistfuls of parametric blobs to CATIA analysis to complex ArcGIs maps to Revit.
For this person (who seems to be both out of work and out of school for at least 2+ years), they seem able to afford about $35,000 a year in annual software subscriptions.
Like lying on a resume, it seems to be common practice that no one really addresses.
I know companies who steal everything from fonts to stock photos. And these companies couldn't afford to be in business without theft. This is actually the reason I won't go back into the graphic design industry is that I know I can't compete legitimately. I also know I can't talk very many clients into buying stock photography for their various graphic design needs.
For all the people who are saying that chicarchitect should snitch: are all of you completely clean when it comes to software, music, games and films? Did you pay for your home copy of autocad, do you have an official license for Rhino? Did you pay for every single mp3 you own?
If not, what would you say if someone would snitch on you? You'd probably say that this is not a fair comparison, since you are only a private person, not a company. But that means that you yourself are declaring a level of illegality that simply isn't there - both versions of piracy are pretty much the same. Or is the fact that chicarchitect got treated badly enough for some sort of vindictive act? In that case, I hope I never do you wrong in any way, otherwise you'll probably report me for having downloaded an mp3...
again, I think a lot of it comes down to how much will they pay you for this information
I cant imagine its actually worth it
if its for vindictive reasons for how you were treated when you were there, you shouldnt need any monetary reward
if its for the "ethics" of why a company shouldnt be using pirated software......eh.
hopefully you didnt actually have any friends working there, because you will be getting them in trouble or fired as well
if you're an office and you use pirated software, you shouldn't expect people to pay you for your work either, and of course, you wouldn't mind if someone "borrows" images from your website and pawns them off as their own.
This is like your gf breaks up with you, you are angry, so you go and tell her new boyfriend that she on cheated on you.
usernametaken has got it right
Would you really want to be responsible for ruining so many people's lively hood, possibly careers for a few (presumably next to nothing) dollars?
to - let's consider how many architecture offices scan models photos from magazines and use them in renderings, without any usage permission...that'd cover most of the profession
As much as it is unethical for a firm to have stolen software the moment you use it, you loose your ethical credibility. Everyone has a choice to leave that firm the moment they discover they are using stolen software. It's like smoking crack and claiming your innocent because someone handed you a pipe or worse, smoking crack and calling the cops on the dealer.
That's my take on the ethics.
Another look at things:
would you also rat out this guy if he was nice and/or a friend? - if not, you're just seeking revenge.
would you also rat out this guy if there wasn't any money in it for you? - if not, you are just chasing an easy dollar.
would you also rat out this guy if he downloaded the software for private use, not for an office? - if not, you are setting your own moral standards - making a sketchy frame of reference.
If you didn't say "yes" to all three things above, it has nothing much to do with morals and ethics...
I agree with Paperboy here. The ethical breach already occurred and you were already complicit in that breach. If you were to turn that employer in (and yourself, by proxy), some might see it just as sour grapes.
What you could do is just threaten to turn them in. Just to fuck with them, although you could certainly blackmail them too, though I wouldn't recommend that. You can just say, I'm sending all this info (screenshots, or whatever actual evidence you have) to BSA blah blah, make them stress over it. Donno, depends on how strong your evidence is, and how bad you want to punish them.
I think the reason they go after companies more than individuals for software piracy is because businesses generally have more assets than one person. However, I do think software piracy is wrong, even though I've done it. When you can't afford thousands of dollars for tuition to use it at a school, or buy it yourself, but you simply HAVE to know this software to get any kind of job, they really leave people with no choice.
The reward (getting a good job) far outweighs any risk (getting sued or whatever).
I'd avoid threats. That is something that could really hurt you in the future. While this person/company may have not been great to you, they have a business, which means that they have succeeded to some level, have connections, etc.
Burning bridges because you are upset is just short sighted. Reputations last a long, long time. As you can see by people's posts, most people won't look too kindly on snitching.
There are some pretty slippery ethical standards being discussed in this thread. Lots of personal rationalization going on to justify why it's ok for "me" to pirate software but it's not okay for "the other guy". I'm not convinced ethics are quite so maleable.
As to the OP's main question, I'm with usernametaken on this one. I'm convinced chicarchitect wouldn't have opened this thread had s/he not felt badly treated by the firm in question. It's unlikely we'd be seeing the same ethical purity were the OP still employed there or otherwise still connected - emotionally or otherwise - with that firm. This smacks of little more than a petty vendetta, which rarely works out for anymore.
Move on with your life, dude. This isn't going to fix what ails you.
can i just add, that bsa seems to be making it real easy for people to do this, but the reality is much more complicated. most likely what will happen is that the firm will be notified, and that firm will be scared shitless into purchasing the software in question, after having been warned, and you'll get nothing. if however, the firm has had a pattern or disregards the notification, you'll most likely be deposed, need to testify - exposing yourself to all sorts of shit - and then, when the fines are meted out, then you'll get paid. of course all of that should take, i don't know, years?
I'm with the crowd on this one, ratting out employers is tough and I would be cautious to do it. I debated doing something of the sorts, never did, and am glad I didn't. Someone else did, nothing much happened. This case wasn't software related though, other ethics were involved though.
I dont think the OP is claiming its all about ethics or anything though, as they said they were trying to make ends meet
besides, if it was really an ethical situation for them, they would have ratted out the firm while he was there using the software, not after he was fired
and i agree, b3t
To recieve any worthwhile compensation, it will be a lengthy process that will not be private
and they'll get blacklisted from other firms. Don't think anyone would want to hire a snitch, even if they had legal software (who knows, maybe they'd contact the irs about a personal lunch being written off as business)
Bad idea.
The architecture community is really small. You don't want to burn (more like incinerate) bridges like this for the sake of a couple dollars.
Its ok to joke about it (I have in the past) but acting on it opens you up to more problems then its worth.
The economy will turn around eventually and when it does you don’t want to be that guy/gal who still can’t get a job because of a bad reputation.
Also, even posting this idea here is a bad idea. Things get around quickly. You don’t know who could be reading this.
i still would love to hear what the actual compensation would be for ratting out someone about pirated software
Here's what Jack White has to say about it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V596x9cwLYM
you'd only get compensation if they went for a lawsuit and got a settlement
even then i'm sure it's 'up to their discretion'
you would think that up front they would make some kind of offer for your "reward", otherwise why bother
but i agree, it would most likely all be contingent on them winning some sort of lawsuit
all seems like too much of a hassle to even really consider
personally - if it bothers you that much, next time you are working someplace let them know - but I wouldn't use this information as retribution. if you were ok with it when you were working there or it bothered you and you said and did nothing, then you are just as culpable.
I've said something at two offices when I discovered they had pirated software - both times they were surprised (or pretended to be surprised) that they had it (they blamed it on some intern - one guy actually thought their legit software had rendering capabilities) - and they bought proper licenses or stopped using the software altogether. if you encounter it in an office, you should say something to the effect "hey, I thought you should know that x application isn't a legit license" then if they are actually honest and it was truly an intern who installed it, then they can take action - or - they'll know that you're on to them and most likely will shape up.
You shouldn't feel scared to let someone know that they're doing something illegal - but make sure you're extremely nice about it - say stuff like "i'm concerned about us getting in trouble for such and such" or "did you know?" - act like they might not know that they're doing something wrong - and make sure it's in writing...
it bugs me that you can get cash awards for weasel-y accusing people of shit - why can't people be ethical and stick up for their beliefs on their own? what the hell is someone going to do, fire you? shit's on them if you act professional about it and leave a paper-trail.
i think that is most people's issue here
the OP didnt seem to say anything while working there, its now only after he was fired and wants some money (understandable in this economy)
I'm amazed at how many people defend software piracy here. No wonder it is such a struggle for firms like the one I work at which does purchase all its software legitimately. I guess it really doesn't matter because eventually all of our jobs are going to be relocated to some office in China operating entirely on pirated software with no fear of retribution.
I doubt many of us here actually condone piracy. It's just sort of lame to rat on someone after the fact.
...and after you've used said pirated software while you were employed there. It would've been one thing if you had taken the personal and professional risk of reporting piracy while you were still employed there... you'd be a whistle-blower. Quite another to leave after you've benefited yourself from the employer's piracy, and then, from afar, go "nananana".
what is the ethical thing in your mind to do? I think only you can answer that.
however that said software companies aren't really making easy for folks to afford their software... $6000 for software is harsh no matter how you slice it
let karma settle things.....its not a good thing to hold negative energy in your body, it will only draw more....move on with life and worry about yourself....
F- THE BASTARDS
NO MERCY IS MY NEW MANTRA AFTER 20 YEARS IN BUSINESSES
IF THEY HAD THE CHANCE THEY WOULD F YOU
LEAVE THEM THE CHUNKS OF YOUR BARF ON THEIR FACE
and that's $6k for one license, for one computer. Add the Creative Suite, VRay, 3D Studio, Office, etc., etc. and you are easily pushing 10-20k per computer
then you have renew licenses every year or two to be current or compatible (don't get me started on 3D Studios lack of backwards compatibility!!).
Adobe at least offers some great bundled deals
Welcome to the economics of pro-practice, fellas!
Those that steal software degrade the Professional Practice of Architecture. Let them burn in an Engineer Designed Hell! Folks, if these people go away the Profession will only grow in a better way. The Architectural Firms which practice within the relm of the law will have less competition and be able to grow their firms when the scumbags firms fall by the way. So those of you who would rather not work for a scum bag architectural firm will not have to work for one because they will be gone. I say do what is right and moral and forget about the economic gain. However, you do run the risk of entanglement with the United States Judicial System. So do have your "T's" crossed and your "i"s dotted.
A company I worked for years ago bought out our main competitor. Just prior to the buyout, a couple of the competitors firms employees struck out on their own. They had been trusted members of the firm but they were disgruntled. The owner who sold the firm didn't really pay that much attention to details and somehow the former employees took the disks of all the Autocad software. In the past Autodesk didn't pay as much attention to who actually owned the licenses, and these former empoyers had signed for the software from the vendor.
So as a way to put the parent firm (the one I worked for) in jeapordy, they turmed us in for using pirated software. All the remaining employees of the buyout firm still (innocently) had the Autocad software on their computers but couldn't produce any documentaion that they had a license. I am pretty sure Autodesk is more diligent in tracking who owns what these days.
The bottom line is that the firm I worked for. the one buying the other firm, had buy 7 new seats of Autocad at full value to keep from being sued by Autodesk. This ended up costing about a quarter of the price of buying out the whole firm. Again, I think the licenses are much more regulated and degined now days, but that was a total rip off in the way it went down.
Don’t rat....
the cost of this stuff is outrageous, especially if your just starting out. What is more f'ed up is they will give you a discount if you buy in bulk; the people who buy in bulk dont need the discount. Its the startups. These software companies should extend the student version price for at least 10 years beyond graduating. Or maybe even give you the first few copies for free and just pay a small subscription fee every year.
What is this profession coming to... the last thing we should do is rat on each other. Sell lemonade or something if you need money, don’t be a snitch
I worked for a company that was possibly snitched (the time I was there) and although our boss was a jerk, I didnt think it was right for the fired employee to become opportunistic in this aspect. Sure, you get your $$$, but as someone explained, there are other lives people at stake here. I don't condone software piracy, especially for big firms, I'm not comfortable with bringing down a whole company with a whole bunch of people depending on it for personal gain. It's not worth it. Besides, if your former employer figures out that it was you who snitched, think of the long term implications to your career. These bosses mostl likely know one another and who would want to hire a snitch in the future???
So, that means you are sorta ok with software piracy by small firms and individuals ?
Fucking Idiots.
So you are going to make Autodesk richer, huh?
oh well. Then there's always the edaw cost reduction solution: force your emps to design with Sketchup! muahaha
well said, sameolddoctor. i think it's a bit silly when people decry software and media pirating.
the t.v. show southpark did an episode on piracy that was pretty poignant. it was a parody of the christmas carol - the city cop showed Stan the houses of britney spears, and other absurdly rich artists/executives, and lamented that
"...because people pirate Britney's music, she's been forced to sell her Gulfstream 4 private jet, and buy a mere Gulfstream 3 private jet. I mean, the Gulfstream 3 doesn't even have a remote control for its surround sound entertainment system! Unless piracy is stopped, Britney will have a tragic future, etc."
Its even funnier when the 'professionals' in the crowd here say that firms using pirated software have a competitive advantage and are not playing on an even playing field. In the end its your work and contacts that matter in turning a profit, not the amount you spent in buying legit software.
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