Would You Install Pirated Software at Work?

An anonymous reader asks: "I am an IT professional, and due to budget constraints, I have been told to install multiple copies of MS Office, despite offering to install OpenOffice, and other OpenSource Office products. Even though most of the uses are for people using Excel like a database, or formatting of text in cells, other programs are not tolerated. I have been over ruled by our controller, to my disagreement. I would never turn them in, but I am in tough place by knowing doing something illegal. I want to keep my job, but disagree with some of the decision making on this issue. Other than drafting a letter to the owners of the company on how I disagree with the policy, what else can I do?"

Re:Just watch your back

[Pinkfud]

Considering that I work for the US Government, no. Beyond that, I agree with your reply.

Of course.

[Wandering Wombat]

How ELSE would I get anything done?!

Re:Turn them in

[Anonymous Coward]

Especially when they don't share the grog

Re:Which is the lesser of two evils?

[arivanov]

Which country?

Western Europe, USA, Japan - decision is indeed clear cut as they will blame you for it anyway. It is solely a question of who does it first.

Eastern Europe, Russia, China - you have a WHOLE ONE LEGAL COPY OF OFFICE? Who is the out of his mind person to buy it.

So it is all relative... Same as Microsoft policy to enforcing piracy. I have seen them turn a blind eye too many once you get far enough east. After all, as with all crack dealers - the first dose of is free.

Any disgruntled employees?

[eln]

You're the IT guy. Find an employee who is disgruntled (or maybe just use the guy that keeps eating your lunch out of the fridge even though it's CLEARLY marked with BIG BLACK MARKER with your name). Send an email ratting the company out to the BSA from that person's account. Put a BSA bumper sticker on his car. Sneak into his house and put a thank you card ("The Business Software Alliance thanks you for reporting 500 scofflaw software stealing terrorists in 2006! Wishing you more success bringing down more scum in 2007!") on his mantle.

Meanwhile, forge emails from your boss to you threatening to fire you if you don't immediately and without question install as much illegal software as possible. Include some BSA baiting ("And if the BSA comes around, I've got a few shotgun shells with their names on it! Yeehaw!") For extra points, forge an entire email thread wherein he continues to threaten you and the BSA and anyone else you can think of despite your continued objections. Throw in some sentences where you attempt to convince him of his wrongs through Bible verses.

When the BSA comes to the office, throw a Molotov cocktail from your boss's window toward their car. Leave the building and wait across the street for the SWAT team to arrive. If your boss tries to come out, as soon as you can see him coming out the door yell as loud as you can "He's got a gun!"

This should take care of your problem.

Re:I've been down this road

[Red Flayer]

but there's a distinction to be made between what you do at home and being professional at work. No one has to know what you get upto at home, and so the risk is more controlled, however at work any number of your users could cash in on that $1000 software piracy report reward or whatever. Furthermore, I'd imagine the penalties for what would probably be commercial copyright infringement would be much more harsh than for home copying also.

There's another distinction too -- at home you're exposing yourself to risk; you get caught, you face the consequences. At work you're exposing your employer as well as yourself.

I think it's a lot more wrong to expose others than to expose just myself.

Err, I probalby could phrase that a bit better... I think it's bad to expose others to risk than to just expose myself to risk.

Re:Professional

[Glonoinha]

He forgot a few :
I will not be a camper or AWP-whore.
I will not spawn-kill.
I will not kill-steal or ninja-loot or intentionally train-to-zone.
I will immediately delete any porn I find that involves obviously underage participants, and then go wash my eyes out with soap.

Re: A few options:

[quakehead3]

$ delete boss delete: cannot remove 'boss': Permission denied $ sudo delete boss boss removed

Nothing but Pirated Softwares.

[skynare]

We use nothing but pirated software. Because our financial analysts found out that by doing so, we are actually attacking our competitions and also saving spendings on softwares. It's a total win-win strategy.

Use the force Luke...

[i_want_you_to_throw_]

The force in this case is that you're the IT guy. Can anyone think of the best thing about being the IT guy?

Anyone? anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

You can talk over people's heads and just make stuff up! Seriously. I ask myself this as the IT guy all the time: "Hmmm... do I really want to explain this or do I just want to make something up to get rid of this person?".

Many times, it's make something up. Besides pointing out the obvious illegality, you can just mention that everytime Office is opened the serial number is reported back to Redmond. If two people have it open at the same time then "BAM!" Microsoft sees a possible piracy issue.

Remember as the IT Guy that you possess specialized knowledge not unlike a doctor or a lawyer: professions where making stuff up is a time honored tradition.

Re:Any disgruntled employees?

[Anonymous Coward]

Simon, is that you?

Re:email won't save the job.

[KinkoBlast]

CC it, not blindly, to yourself, your boss, your boss's boss, all the way up the chain... and MS, too, just for the hell of it.

That ought to make it hard to 'lose'.

If you're that worried about your job, HR too.

Re:Just watch your back

[Anonymous Coward]

I think you're confusing me with another poster on some of your comment, BTW.

Probably me. We do have similar names.

Re:Just watch your back

[Anonymous Coward]

ok sheridan

Re:Just watch your back

[jonom]

Worked for Oliver North.

Re:Blow that whistle

[Anonymous Coward]

...serves as a safe conduit for the receipt and evaluation of whistleblower disclosures from federal employees, former employees and applicants for federal employment.

Oh, horseshit -- under this administration, the other word for "whistleblower" is "fuckee". They just finished weakening legal protection for said fuckees.

Re:Dinosaurs?

[Arterion]

Nazis rode dinosaurs?

No, but that's what will happen if we allow gay marriage.

Re:Just watch your back

[Unnamed Chickenheart]

Well, it for sure wasn't me!