Software theft: Would you rat on your boss?

Almost one third of employees in the UK would be prepared to report their boss for software theft if they believed copyright was being breached and they were being forced to use software illegally.

Thirty-one per cent of respondents to a survey carried out by YouGov on behalf of Fast (Federation Against Software Theft) said they would turn their boss in, while a similar amount (35 per cent) said they believe 'whistleblowers' are actually heroes because of their actions - rather than the 'grass' that many may imagine.

However, 46 per cent of respondents said they would not report their boss for software piracy.

The survey also revealed that most workers (65 per cent) are unaware that laws exist to protect corporate whistleblowers from retribution by angry employers.

Paul Brennan, legal counsel at Fast, said: "This is very positive news for the software industry. It is extremely encouraging to see that people are willing to lift the lid on unethical practice despite being unaware that there are laws existing to protect them."

Brennan added: "It seems that Fast’s message is getting through. However, although it is commendable that people are prepared to risk their careers to ‘do the right thing’ we need to raise awareness of the fact that the law is on their side. In turn, this may go some way to tackling the issue that nearly half [46 per cent] of the sample survey said they would not report their boss in connection with using pirated software."

The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (The Whistleblowers’ Act) protects employees who make a disclosure against their employer. As long as certain conditions are met, employees sacked for blowing the whistle have a claim in an Employment Tribunal, who can award up to £50,000.