AGMA Says Tech Companies Need To Protect Digital IP
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
Digital intellectual property (IP) surrounds us every day, in music, movies, mobile phones and more. It the most rapidly growing segment of the economy and the question of how to protect it is garnering a great deal of attention. According to the FBI, IP theft costs U.S. businesses billions of dollars a year, and also results in lost jobs and tax revenues. The way to protect digital IP, according to AGMA, a non-profit organization comprised of influential companies in the technology sector (including HP, Microsoft and Cisco) lies in the data.
AGMA is the largest group solely focused on IP protection in the high-tech industry. In conjunction with member company Microsoft, they have detailed the role that data plays in safeguarding digital IP.
One problem is that conventional tactics deployed to protect physical IP do not translate to digital. “With digital piracy, something can be stolen and yet still be there — how do you know it has been taken?" AGMA advocate for digital IP protection Anita Phillips, senior solutions manager for Microsoft, explained.
“One of the most powerful ways to identify a digital IP threat is through company/sales data. For example, analyze sales data and compare it to licensing data compared to customer support data. If sales show 100 units sold with 1,000 licenses issued but customer support sees one million users — you have a big problem on your hands.”
The Business Software Alliance estimated that there was approximately $62.7 billion worth of unlicensed global PC software installations in 2013. While this addressed the effects of digital IP protection on software companies, AGMA also asserts that the impact on consumers and their data should not be overlooked. Effects include malware, viruses, and assorted other cyber and physical risks posed by piracy.
“Brand protection issues can be challenging and complex, and AGMA believes that one of the keys to tackling these issues is the sharing of information," noted AGMA president Sally Nguyen. "The development of our AGMA Advocates program has enabled us to bring a one-on-one, insider's perspective to the issues. With companies like Microsoft that are proactively addressing these issues everyday providing insights, AGMA offers an extremely strong value proposition to member companies.”
To find out more about how AGMA is working to hinder IP threats, click here.