Piracy Impact Podcast

Jason and Michael close out the year and Season 2 of the Piracy Impact Podcast with a great behind-the-scenes conversation with Revulytics’ VP of Product and Strategy, Vic DeMarines. Vic talks about his background in security software with companies like RSA, Progress Software, and Authentica, and the early days of software protection at Revulytics and what led the company to pivot to take a more proactive piracy detection approach. You won’t want to miss Vic’s impressions on the impact of GDPR, changes in software vendors’ approach to license compliance, and where the industry is headed.

Michael turns the microphone on Jason for a very special episode of the Piracy Impact Podcast! Hear Jason’s software license compliance origin story and how he made the transition from sales to compliance before joining Revulytics (www.revulytics.com). Jason also shares his thoughts on the different approaches to dealing with infringers from an inside sales approach, to audits, to legal. He also discusses what it is like to work with existing customers who are also infringing, the growing use of data in license compliance, and best practices he has developed over the years.

Jason and Michael travel to Worcester, Massachusetts to speak with John McInnes and Jodi McLane, founding partners of intellectual property law firm McInnes & McLane (https://mcmcip.com/). John and Jodi discuss the importance of software vendors laying the groundwork to protect their intellectual property rights and the trends they are seeing in software license enforcement. They also talk about different approaches to dealing with infringers and how to find balance between enforcement and sales. With a focus on understanding and achieving their clients’ business goals, you won’t want to miss this episode.

In this episode we share our final interview from our event in Paris where Jason spoke with Vinod Moza, Senior Group Director and Worldwide Head, License Compliance, at Cadence Design Systems. Vinod shares that “once confronted with the [infringement] data, it was real” and how piracy is a “problem, but also an opportunity.” He also discusses the importance for software vendors to focus on their license compliance philosophy and then do the pre-work that will lead to mutually beneficial outcomes. Speaking about his own philosophy, he stresses the importance of being customer-centric: helping customers become compliant, building relationships, keeping their environments free of malware, and leveling the playing field when their competitors use pirated software.

Jason speaks with Rafael Amaral, senior partner at Brazilian intellectual property law firm Kasznar Leonardos (https://www.kasznarleonardos.com.br/). Rafael had just stepped off the stage from presenting at Revulytics’ recent conference in Paris, so he was ready to share his thoughts on dealing with software piracy in Brazil. From outlining the enforcement of intellectual property rights in Brazil, to an interesting approach to leveraging the large volume of ISP data they are seeing in infringement reports, you won’t want to miss this episode.

We feature another conversation from Jason’s trip to Paris when he spoke with Dominique Laffret, VP at leading CAD/CAM vendor TopSolid. Dominique discusses how they decided they needed to track and measure the illegal use of their software and how they have been growing their compliance program. He also talks about the importance of fairness, and protecting current customers from their competitors using pirated software.

Jason traveled to Paris and spoke with Borja Suarez, a lawyer specializing in intellectual property law working in international environments at Law 21 in Madrid. Borja talks about the different methods of engagement when doing software license compliance work in South America and some of the common themes and approaches. He tells Jason about the importance of finding a solution that works for both sides and shares a great story from Ecuador.

Jason and Michael hit the road to Connecticut again - this time to talk to Gerber Technology's VP and GM Sam Simpson (https://www.gerbertechnology.com). Sam talks about his more than 40 years at Gerber starting as a software engineer and now as vice president of the company's global strategic accounts with responsibility for managing, maintaining and expanding relationships with key enterprises, agents and distributors worldwide. He shares how Gerber evolved to view software piracy as an opportunity and the importance of communication when building a compliance program.

Jason and Michael take advantage of the International Trademark Association's (INTA) annual meeting in Boston to speak with MSA IP's Milos Bogdanovic (https://msa-iplaw.com). MSA IP – Milojevic, Sekulic and Associates is a boutique law firm which specializes in prosecution and litigation of trademarks, patents, designs, as well as in enforcement of Intellectual Property rights in the region of Southeast Europe. From its head office in Belgrade, Serbia, MSA IP directs and coordinates the work of its local offices in nine countries in the region, as well as the work of its associated firms in other neighboring countries. Milos shares how his firm approaches software piracy for its clients and busts some of the myths about enforcing IP rights in the region.

Be sure to start with Episode 4 for part 1! In part 2 of this interview, Michael continues his conversation with former Dassault Systemes Anti-Piracy and Compliance Head Andy Clarkson. Andy shares more about the evolution of approaches to software piracy with some interesting parallels to his work in UK law enforcement. He also discusses how smaller software vendors can apply his 4E approach to license compliance. Andy is currently a Licence Compliance consultant at AND-CCONSULTING LTD (andrew.clarkson@and-cconsulting.com).

In part 1 of this interview, Michael talks to former Dassault Systemes Anti-Piracy and Compliance Head Andy Clarkson about leaving a 24 year career in UK law enforcement to build a career at IBM and Dassault addressing software piracy. Andy shares his 4E approach to converting software pirates to paying customers and the growing importance of data in those efforts. Andy is currently a Licence Compliance consultant at AND-CCONSULTING LTD (andrew.clarkson@and-cconsulting.com).

Jason and Michael take advantage of the International Trademark Association's (INTA) annual meeting in Boston to speak with Anand & Anand's Shantanu Sahay (https://www.anandandanand.com). Anand and Anand is among the largest practices specializing in Intellectual Property laws in India and is ranked among the Top Tier Intellectual Property Law Firms in Asia. Shantanu shares how his firm is helping software vendors protect their intellectual property in India and discusses how its approach has changed over the years with the country's increased focus on protecting IP rights.

Jason and Michael take a trip to Connecticut to talk to leading CAD/CAM vendor CNC Software's Chief Legal Officer, Gary Hargreaves (https://www.mastercam.com). Gary shares the story of his involvement in license compliance, how CNC approaches software piracy, and the role of its reseller network. His "craziest compliance story" may be one you've never heard before!

Welcome to episode 1 of the Piracy Impact Podcast from Revulytics (https://www.revulytics.com) where we bring you conversations with leaders from the world of software license compliance with your hosts Jason Swan and Michael Goff. This short episode is a sneak peak of what we have planned - subscribe now before our first series drops!