The Business Software Alliance (BSA) is about to find itself short one member, as Kaspersky Lab has announced that they are withdrawing from the software-maker alliance.
The BSA was formed in 1988 with the mission to help combat copyright infringement in regards to the software produced by the companies in the alliance. The list of high profile companies that make up the BSA reads like a who’s who of the tech sector as Adobe, Apple, Microsoft, Intel, Dell and Siemens are all members.
Kaspersky, the company known for its antivirus software, has released a statement in regards to the BSA and SOPA. It appears that they want to distance themselves from the unpopular legislation – a task that involves distancing themselves from the alliance that has supported the bill.
Kaspersky Lab is aware of the public controversy and debates sparked by the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). Kaspersky Lab is occasionally mentioned in the discussion as a member of the Business Software Alliance (BSA), which supports the SOPA initiative.
Kaspersky Lab would like to clarify that the company did not participate in the elaboration or discussion of the SOPA initiative and does not support it. Moreover, the company believes that the SOPA initiative might actually be counter-productive for the public interest, and decided to discontinue its membership in the BSA as of January 1, 2012.
The BSA has been a supporter of the SOPA/PIPA legislation from the outset, although they recently tempered their enthusiasm when they explained concerns about the unintended consequences of the bill. On their blog they said that SOPA needs work:
As it now stands, however, it could sweep in more than just truly egregious actors. To fix this problem, definitions of who can be the subject of legal actions and what remedies are imposed must be tightened and narrowed. Due process, free speech, and privacy are rights cannot be compromised
It looks like this sentiment proved too little too late for Kaspersky.
I think Stephen Colbert understands the possibility of SOPA “sweeping in more than just truly egregious actors”:
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