Did you know that you--as an individual--could be liable for fines if you have illegal software installed on your UD computer? To obey licensing laws, protect yourself, your department and the University, you should read and follow the terms of the licenses for all software you use. It is also imperative that you track your software licenses.

Acquire legal copies

Many software vendors sell specially priced licenses for academic use of their software. For example, Microsoft Office's academic prices are at least $200 less than the prices offered through most "discount" catalogs.

If you are a student, visit the University Bookstore (lower level, Perkins Student Center) or the Technology Solutions Center (002B Smith Hall) to inquire about academic pricing on software you want to purchase.

If you are a University employee with authorization to use a UD Purchasing Card, visit the UDMart web site [http:// www.udel.edu/udmart/], and search for the software you want to purchase. If the software is available from "ASAP Software Express" (an authorized re-seller for the academic market), this is usually the least expensive option.

According to the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA), more than 30 percent of software downloaded from the web can be classified as "pirated" software. If you do download software, make sure that you acquire a legal copy and that you register your downloaded software and acquire a license as soon as is practical.