Scott & Scott, LLP, (http://www.bsadefense.com) a prominent software audit defense firm, is responding to the Business Software Alliance's (BSA) recent announcement that it is offering free software audit tools, by advising companies to seek expert legal counsel in the event that they are targeted by the BSA.

Conducting a self-audit using the BSA's tools will significantly detriment a company's legal position, as the data delivered by software discovery tools will not be protected by attorney-client and work-product privileges. Further, software license agreements are contracts that require the interpretation of attorneys with significant software license experience and a technical understanding of how the licenses are being used.

Finally, many companies have found the data delivered by software discovery tools inadequate, as they do not have the appropriate resources to interpret the results, understand the legal implications of the contracts they have signed and translate that into a proper audit defense strategy.

"Companies should be extremely skeptical of free software discovery tools offered by the BSA," said Rob Scott, Partner, Scott & Scott, LLP. "The results

of these tools can be limited, misleading and will put
companies in a detrimental legal position while defending a BSA audit. To ensure that audit results produced to the BSA are accurate and can't be used against the target if an out-of-court settlement is not
reached, companies are advised to seek the representation of legal counsel experienced in BSA defense."

About Scott & Scott, LLP

Scott & Scott is a leading law and technology services firm dedicated to helping senior executives
assess and reduce the legal, financial, and regulatory risks associated with software compliance. Scott & Scott's legal and technology professionals provide software audit defense and software compliance solutions, all protected by attorney-client and work-product privileges. Scott & Scott is the only law firm in the country providing software compliance services. The firm is managed by Rob Scott, who is a pioneer in the software license compliance field and regularly conducts seminars entitled, "Successfully Defending Software Audits" and "Software Asset Management and The Law."