www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/08/cyber/education/12education.html
Education links The group said it found 1,400 copies of unlicensed software in use, including Microsoft Word and Adobe Photoshop. The Business Software Alliance is asking, among other things, that the school district pay $300,000 -- the approximate value of the copies -- to the group's anti-piracy fund. A spokesman for the Los Angeles Unified School District declined to comment, saying the accusations were the subject of negotiations. Tokofsky, one of the seven members of the district school board, said that while he does not condone software piracy, he is unhappy with how the Business Software Alliance has acted, likening the anti-piracy phone line to the use of moles. He also said that with the millions of dollars software companies spend on advertising touting the educational value of their products, he felt they could afford to help a poor urban school district like Los Angeles train staff members in copyright regulations. Kruger, vice president of enforcement for the Business Software Alliance, rebutted the criticism, pointing out that tipsters to the phone line are not rewarded and that software makers often help school districts by offering them discounted prices for software. He acknowledged that it was impossible to ascertain whether that proportion applies to schools, too. McKenzie, a former school superintendent who advises schools on how to use technology and publishes an 8 online journal on the subject, believes, based on anecdotes, that the problem in schools is widespread. But another education expert indicated that the Los Angeles example was unusual.
If unauthorized copies are found, they are purged, he said. The reason is not just the desire of school officials to comply with copyright laws, added Schneider, whose organization represents about 16,000 school superintendents. Computer viruses often begin with a piece of what he called "refugee" software. And school officials want to swiftly eliminate any potentially problematic -- or controversial -- programs that may be introduced to school computer systems by mischievous youngsters. Alexander, a spokeswoman for Microsoft, there is another issue: Too often, she said, people who would not dream of stealing, say, a book, believe it is legitimate to use software without paying for it. Click 10 here for a list of links to other columns in the series. Related Sites Following are links to the external Web sites mentioned in this article. These sites are not part of The New York Times on the Web, and The Times has no control over their content or availability. When you have finished visiting any of these sites, you will be able to return to this page by clicking on your Web browser's "Back" button or icon until this page reappears.
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