The Business Software Alliance has responded to appeals by computer software resellers by acting against training companies which sell cheap, illegally copied software to their students. The Alliance will also be investigating training companies that use illegal software themselves, or use more PCs for training than their licences allow.

Mike Newton, programme manager for BSA in the UK, explained he organisation's concern: "What happens is that at the end of a course, companies will offer to sell students copies of the software they have just been trained on. In many cases they will sell cheaper, illegal copies. One of our key concerns is that computer training schools are most often training new users, so they are creating a 'norm' in the use of illegal software. The belief that it is OK to use illegal software then permeates other organisations."

The BSA website has a self-audit tool and a Guide to Software Management for training company managers who fear they may be operating illegally.

After a series of recent prosecutions of organisations for using unlicensed software, individuals who have reported software abuses have received rewards of 10% of the settlement paid to the BSA.