Wham-O, the maker of Frisbees and Hula Hoops, and Burt's Bees, which makes natural soap, shampoo and beauty products, are among the latest companies to be fined by the Business Software Alliance for using unlicensed commercial software inside their businesses.
Durham, N.C.-based Burt's Bees paid a $110,000 fine to Washington-based BSA, a software industry watchdog group, after a software audit found unlicensed copies of applications from Adobe Systems, Apple Computer, and Microsoft on company computers, according to a statement yesterday from the alliance. As part of the settlement, Burt's Bees agreed to delete any unlicensed copies, purchase replacement software, and strengthen its software management practices, the BSA said.
A spokesperson for Burt's Bees could not be reached for comment.
An anonymous report on software use by Burt's Bees came in through an online report filed on the BSA Web site. BSA attorneys then contacted the company, which cooperated and conducted an audit.
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