back to article US army bites the bullet in $50m software piracy pay-out

The US army has been forced to pay out $50 million (£30.6m) for copyright infringement after admitting it installed software on thousands of devices without forking out for it. Texas-based Apptricity produces logistics software which the military uses to manage the movement of troops, transport and other supplies across the …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Bleeding obvious

    "who obviously doesn't feel that suing the military will make it harder to sell to other defence forces."

    Well given the choice between giving it away for free and probably going bust or suing them, it was a bit of a no brainier.

  2. Bronek Kozicki

    good for them!

    ... and do not mean the army. Here is a beer for developers who wrote the software (apparently so good!) and for the lawyers who had the guts to sue the customer!

    (err... but why all the icons are now gone?)

    1. auburnman
      Facepalm

      Re: good for them!

      They've hidden them. "enter your comment" and "add an icon" are effectively tabs within the comment page.

      I don't think suing the US military would be that hard, especially considering $50M would be chump change to their budget. You'd just have to keep an eye on the PR angle, release a statement along the lines of

      "we are honored* to be supporting our troops with our work; unfortunately the military financial offices have not compensated us for our software and with costs mounting we took the difficult decision to initiate legal action."

      *Spelling deliberately mangled in honour of our friends across the pond

      1. Robert Carnegie Silver badge

        Re: supporting our troops

        I think I understand from snopes.com that patriots, such as cafe and restaurant owners, are expected to support the troops by letting them use services without charging, and are liable to be abused by those troops or by their own neighbours for behaving any different, in a series of incidents. Or, if you really want to send somebody to hell, spread a rumour that they once refused a serviceman service.

        Also, cops, donuts.

  3. Elmer Phud

    Got a copy of . . .

    . . . yeah, it's on this USB stick, no problems.

  4. poohbear

    A drone would have been cheaper.

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

  5. Stratman

    Shouldn't the computers hosting the pirated software have been seized and destroyed?

    Goose, gander etc.

    1. Callam McMillan

      ... Not when the guys protecting them have bigger guns than you (quite literally in this case!)

    2. Fatman

      Shouldn't the computers hosting the pirated software have been seized and destroyed?

      Goose, gander etc.

      EXACTLY!!!!!

      I wonder WHO had the balls to turn the US military into the BSA???

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Sounds like the system worked for once. I do wonder how many companies we license our software too pay for what they are actually using especially as we don't restrict its 'live' quantity

  7. i like crisps
    Black Helicopters

    "CHEQUE PLEASE"....

    ...When the waiter arrived with the $50m BILL the US Government didn't

    pay up instead the American Tax payer did....probably been done deliberately

    this by the military chiefs so that their Private Contractor friends can have an

    early Christmas Box.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    If the RIAA comes after you, you pay more than that per violation.

    1. Gannon (J.) Dick

      That's because the RIAA drones have Law School tuition loans to pay.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Odd how the comments here are pro the software company getting the money they deserve yet when a few days ago it was MS that were in the news as some guys had been arrested for counterfeiting the comments were along the lines of they don't deserve it etc. etc. Double standards or different commentards?

  10. Potemkine Silver badge
    Pint

    Jackpot!

    Well done guys. I hope the developers will get a bonus for Christmas.

  11. jdieter

    LINUX

    stupid government.

  12. jdieter

    50 million

    chump change. it cost 1million a year per deployed mercenary. (they are paid. NOT volunteer. words have meaning)

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