Are you receiving unsolicited threatening software compliance phone calls to face legal action on pretext of you using pirated software? Sometime copyright threat is for the software you have not heard about / never used in your life or sometime for the softwares you already bought and registered as instructed but still blamed by caller in harsh language that you have breached their copyrights & not followed software compliance procedure! OR most of the time because you are using pirated software knowingly!
I don't support piracy and scope of this article is not to explain how to deal with the software compliance calls if you are using pirated software knowingly. Scope of this article is to make software users aware about fear based selling carried by third-party agents or software distributors & precaution they should take to avoid / face them without falling on wrong side of law. I am not going in detail if software developer knows or indirectly support this or not! The point is who ever he is no one can threat Indian consumer & force them to buy using fear based software selling.
As a consumer / software users understand if you have really done something wrong or you are just being victim of fear based selling. At the same time never ever use pirated software rather procure copy of software you need from authorised distribution channel and get it registered with developer online and share your Login Email ID (Never Ever share Your Password) in case you receive so-called software compliance call.
How to judge if person calling you is really authorised by software developer? If person asks for proof of purchase of software, number of computers, serial number of software even after you have registered your software online with software developer; it's all most certain that caller don't have any of your data and he is just trying to hard sell! IGNORE THEM as you have not done anything wrong and already followed software compliance. Other things you must keep in mind listed below.
First point - Its responsibility of software developer to make sure its product / software are copy protected; instead most of the popular softwares are directly installed without any copy protection by person who sells you computer system.
And suddenly out of no where these third-party agents start knocking every door without any data of registered softwares & threat every users (authorise / unauthorised both) to face legal action (The least punishment for infringement of copyright is imprisonment for six months with the smallest fine of Rs. 50,000/-.)
Refer Article : Who Let My Dog Out? Open Door To Open Source but at the same time understand that you can't keep using copyright software just because it has no copy protection only way to avoid legal action is to procure software from authorised channel and register it online.
Second : Understand DRM or Digital Rights Management technology been used by copyright owners / holders to impose limitation of usage by users based on number of license procured; with the facility to check copyrighted usage it might also send back personal information to a host without your knowledge even as authorised users.
These data might then be used for marketing or commercial purpose using fear based selling claiming they can see more number of licenses usage then what you legally procured. Make sure you don't over use licenses and install only the number of machines equal to multiple license you have procured for same software. If caller still blame you IGNORE THEM!
Third : It's also been observed that some of the software developer has no presence in India (Or so-called foreign copyright owners) but their distributor or reseller take full liberty to threat consumer on phone even dare to send legal notices on email / letterhead to appear it as been sent from software developer and even book website with Indian addresses. Most of the time without CIN Corporate Identification Number to check and verify if corporation sending you notices been registered in India and authorised to do so?
To the best of my knowledge; the only way a foreign corporation which actually is owner of copyrighted product can use sections of copyright act if that corporation carrying out business in India as per companies act 1956. So if you receive any written communication make sure you verify the genuineness by searching if corporation sending you communication been registered with Indian authority!
What we have discussed about are precautions or awareness to separate out the genuine software compliance request from fear based selling by third-party reseller of software; though the best solution is you should start buying required software (if you are using pirated software) whether you received a software compliance call or not! In case you received a call and you are using pirated software only way remain is to procure it immediately and get it registered to avoid any legal action. Caller is more interested to sell you software then taking any legal action against you!
Take away of this article is buy original software from authorised channel and register it online; if you receive software compliance call tell them you have already registered softwares and share your registered email ID (Never Share Password) and no further response needed! You are now very much aware consumer who knows the fact about FEAR BASED SELLING!
Last but not the least start using Open-source which is Free & require no software compliance
