TORONTO – The Canadian Alliance Against Software Theft (CAAST) announced that Braintech, a public company based in North Vancouver, B.C., has agreed to pay almost $150,000 to settle claims that they had unlicensed copies of software programs on their computers. CAAST/BSA contacted the company
and invited them to work towards an informal resolution, as well as to strengthen their software management practices.
Earlier this month, a study released by IDC revealed that 35 per cent of software installed on computers in Canada was pirated in 2003, representing a loss of $990 million. Globally, analysts estimate software piracy resulted in a loss of $39 billion in 2003.
CATA focuses efforts on strengthening Canada’s outsourcing industry
Ottawa – The Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATA) says it has adopted an action plan to help Canada benefit from the global business trend towards outsourcing. CATA’s Outsourcing Steering Committee says the key is to explain to Canadian policy-makers, both federal and provincial, why companies must outsource today, and to secure the partnership of Canadian governments in the outsourcing cause.
“”The goal is to grow the global competitiveness of Canadian companies by pro-actively promoting Canadian outsourcing expertise to Canada’s high-tech trading partners – especially to niches in the American market,”” said Eli Fathi, CEO of Orbit IQ and chairman of the CATA Commercialization Task Force.
Canada needs to convince the U.S. that offshoring north of the border doesn’t threaten jobs in the south, he said. Canada also has to fight restrictive U.S. legislation. Currently, the U.S. federal government and more than 20 states are considering legislation that will inhibit public sector outsourcing spending on work done by private companies that use workers in foreign countries.
Canada’s competitiveness is knowledge-based rather than price-based, according to CATA. Superiority in the mastery of business process, expertise in emerging technologies, speed of response and the ability to handle complex modular projects are areas where Canadian firms can compete favourably, according to CATA.
