日地方組織用非法軟件

Recently Mainichi News reported the following:

　北海道職員がパソコンのソフト約４７００本分を不正にコピーして使用していたことが１４日分かった。北海道は米マイクロソフト社に約１億４０００万円を支払うことで合意した。別のソフト会社とも協議しており、数億円の支払いを求められる可能性がある。 道によると、０７年２月にマイクロソフト社から「ソフト管理が適正か確認したい」との指摘があり、庁内のパソコン約２万４０００台を調査。その結果、マイクロソフト社製の「オフィス」など表計算やワープロなどのソフト４０８４本が不正コピーだった。道は約３２００本分のライセンス料を支払い、残り約８００本は消去する。 別のソフト会社のソフトは６５５本。工事の設計などの専門性の高い製品で、１本２０万～６０万円という。道情報政策課は「パソコン本体は備品として管理していたが、ソフトは管理していなかった。著作権に対する職員の認識が薄かった」と話し、改めて職員への啓発を行うとともに、ソフトを監視するシステムを作る。 自治体によるソフト不正コピーは全国で相次いでおり、石川県は６月、正式な購入額の１．５倍に相当する損害賠償金を支払うことでソフト会社と合意している.

It was understood on the 14th that government staff in Hokkaido had about 4700 sets of illegally copied software and used them in personal computers. Hokkaido agency had agreed on the payment of about 140 million yen to the Microsoft company of the U.S. It also had conferred with another software company, and there was a possibility that a payment up to several hundred million yen could be requested. According to the prefecture, the Microsoft Corporation in February 07 said "I want to confirm whether soft management is proper", and about 24,000 personal computers in the agency were investigated. As a result, 4084 sets of software such as spread sheets, and word processors such as "Office" made by Microsoft Corporation were found to be unauthorized copies. The prefecture paid the license fee of about 3200 sets of software, and the remainder of 800 were deleted. Separately, the software made by another software company was 655 sets. It was said that a copy of software made specially for construction designing could cost 200,000 yen to 600,000 yen. The prefecture's Information and Planning Division said that ｢Software was not managed, although personal computers were managed as standard items. The staff's knowledge on copyright was weak｣. Repeatedly it had enlightened its staff to change, and a system that could observe software usage was now in place. In the whole country, unauthorized software copying by the municipality came to light one after another, and Ishikawa prefecture in June had agreed on a damage payment to a software company that amounted to 1.5 times the formal purchasing cost.

From the above, it seems that Microsoft Corporation was taking serious action against the use of illegally copied software.