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by atonse 332 days ago
This seems very suspect.

Usually you do have recourse via procurement channels and reps. If you file a complaint with that agency stating that they’re using a license without paying for it, it will result in at least an investigation.
2 comments
michaelt 332 days ago
If you got to hire the cops to investigate your own mistakes, would you hire competent, motivated folks who'd leave no stone unturned and get access to every classified, air-gapped network in search of license infringements?

I wouldn't. I'd hire some Peter Gibbons type, who only does about 15 minutes of real, actual work in a typical week. Then I'd tell them they can finish early if all their pending cases are closed.

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GabeIsko 331 days ago
If enterprise corporations actually did a throughout investigation, they would probably find that a lot of their license deals have gone unfulfilled. They are really bad about this kind of stuff. It became super complicated to buy this kind of software once companies realized that they could force everything though a deal desk and try to extract as much money out of the government as possible.

We have had companies outright refuse to even give us a price when we told them we wanted to investigate buying a license. Such a PITA.

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atonse 331 days ago
The acquisition and procurement departments in many government agencies are often “independent” in that they don’t directly report to the agency. They’re more like compliance people that make sure you’re completing with the procurement laws and regulations.

And unpaid software licenses are a violation.

Now maybe the client in this case may have had some kind if ownership clause, etc. but in general, procurement people tend to be pretty neutral in my experience.

Then again, over only dealt with small contracts (< $500k)

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bobmcnamara 332 days ago
Practically the federal government shouted, Neener neener neener! Rules for thee but not for meeeeeee!

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2008/08/air-force-cracks...

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bobmcnamara 332 days ago
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2008/08/air-force-cracks...

Hopefully this was fixed, but this was the standing precedent at the time.

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unethical_ban 332 days ago
As soon as I saw that he put it on the employer machines at his own work before locking down a sale, they'd screw him whether he deserved it or not.
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