Anti-piracy body the Business Software Alliance (BSA) has ordered a London-based building design company to cough up 3,000 in damages for the alleged use of unlicensed software.
Kyson Design is reported to have stumped up the cash after an unknown whistleblower reported the firm to the BSA.
The company was then ordered to carry out a self-audit, which resulted in the discovery of unlicensed Adobe, Autodesk and Microsoft software.
IT Pro contacted Kyson Design for comment, but had received none at the time of writing.
Michala Wardell, chair of the BSA UK Committee, said people need to be aware of the consequences of IP infringement.
"While many businesses may not mean to infringe copyright law, they do need to take responsibility for any negligence on their part. Rather than cutting corners to save money, now is the time to be even more diligent as every penny counts," she said.
"Even though 3,000 may not seem like a particularly substantial loss, for smaller companies such as Kyson Design, it can be much harder to absorb unforeseen losses in an economic downturn."
Julian Swan, director of compliance marketing for EMEA at the BSA, added: "Apart from the financial risks of being found with unlicensed software, there are also potential security threats to bear in mind.
"Unlicensed software is not always fully protected from malware and can lead to downtime, which wouldn't reflect positively upon a company's professionalism and ability to respond to client demands," he concluded.
