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US Government Busted For Using Pirated Software To Manage Army Troop Movements
When the US government said the sequester would cripple its ability to single-handedly rule over the world, it wasn't kidding. Either that, or Joe Biden's Joint Strategic Plan to "curb" copyright infringement was just a case of very confused humor by the vice president gone badly wrong, and he meant to "encourage." Whatever the reason, the fact that the Obama administration was just busted with a $50 million case of software piracy involving none other than the US Army, is indicative that while the Bureau of Labor Statistics was adopting all the best features of the Chinese Department of Truth, the US government was busy copycatting China's respectful approach toward intellectual property. Yet what is even worse, is that the software that was pirated managed the US army's troop and supply movements: in other words, the US government relied on pirated software to prepare for and engage in eventual war.
Specifically, the army "used Apptricity’s integrated transportation logistics and asset management software across the Middle East and other theaters of operation. The Army has also used the software to coordinate emergency management initiatives, including efforts following the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti."
Here's what happened, as reported by RT: in 2004, Apptricity agreed with the US Army to license the troop-movement software, allowing the government to use it on five servers and 150 standalone devices. What happened instead is that the Army proceeded to use the softward around the world. "The improper installation of thousands of unlicensed copies of software was discovered incidentally, when the US Army Program Director said during Strategic Capabilities Planning 2009 that thousands of devices had Apptricity software."
Ultimately, 93 servers and over 9,000 standalone devices of the Army had the unlicensed software. Apptricity figured it was owed US$224 million based on usual fees of US$1.35 million per server and US$5,000 per device.
Upon discovering just how vast the US government piracy stretched Apptricity sued the government, accusing the US military of willful copyright infringement. It won, and the government went on to admit the illegal use and entered into lengthy negotiations with Apptricity to settle. The cost to the Obama administration from being caught in the act: $50 million in damages.
RT does a great summary of yet another instance of remarkable hypocrisy by the "most transparent administration ever."
While the Obama administration’s has launched efforts against intellectual property theft - including the Joint Strategic Plan run by Vice President Joe Biden that aims to curb copyright infringement - the US Army was concurrently using pirated Apptricity enterprise software that manages troop and supply movements.
The Administration has yet to comment on the settlement. But Biden’s words upon announcing the federal anti-copyright-infringement plan ring clear.
“Piracy is theft, clean and simple.”
Even when it was your subordinates that engaged in theft? Surely someone's hand will be slapped, right? But one can be absolutely certain: neither Biden nor Obama "had any idea"...
What was not mentioned anywhere, however, is just how the US government spent the hundreds of millions in appropriated funds, because it is guaranteed that the Army was allotted the full mandated amount by Congress to purchase every single piece of Apptricity software it would ever need. And still somehow $200 million disappeared. Of course in any non-banana republic, a legal system might inquire in whose pockets this excess cash ended up. Which of course means that in the US nobody will even consider this eventuality, especially since Ben Bernanke prints that amount in roughly 5 minutes every day.
Finally, one wonders: what would happen if in the middle of a Syrian (or any other) war suddenly the US army was halted dead in its tracks when HQ got a flashing red "Your 30 Day trial period has expired. Please insert activation code now" notification. We can only hope US drone command didn't get its copy of "Blow Up Innocent Women And Children From 10,000 Miles Away Ver 1.0" on the Moscow black market.
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We will steal the rope with which they will hang us
I'm sure Dear Leader "didn't know' about this.
What a fucking joke this administration has become worldwide.
The US government is the joke.
Soon to be joined by the voting public.
Hypocrites, thieves and bullies.
USA sucks.
Stack On
*takes a break from stacking*
What?
Oh, right.
*resumes stacking*
Easily Confused Joe also said that the tax monies used to finance the wars were volitionally donated by the peasantry to the kings coffers, mind you.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaarrraaggh!
$1.35 million per server and $5k per laptop ? Thats some damn lucrative software licensing.
That's what I was thinking. Clearly I have got to find me some military clients.
Hey if the fee for getting caught is less than the cost or doing it legally would it not be foolish to do it legally?
Hell that is basically JPMs business model and they are doing pretty good.
There seems to be a pattern here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inslaw
The backlash will hit them so hard, they won’t know what direction to look next. We will help protect this motherland country. Even if it means countless people coming out of retirement to bring down a government administration who’s IQ is rated to a gnat. You don’t need bullets, they cannot even figure out how a website works. Imagine placing these idiots in charge of your health..
5 years imprisonment and $150,000 fine for pirating a movie. But the government can pirate $224,000,000 in software with no penalty.
Too perfect a metaphor!
I aM 3L33t!!! G1V3 m3 W4ReZ, d00d!!!
Enjoy tidbits from the golden years.
http://bofh.ntk.net/BOFH/
That's g1v3 me wAr3z, s1r, y3s, S1R!
Drop 'n' give me 50 DDoS's
Falling on your stolen sword, Mr General?
Whoda thunk software piracy fines would be the black Swan !!!
Who is surprised by this?
Cockroach theory says...
I often wonder why the criminals in DC bother to make Executive Orders, Regs, Laws, etc. Don't they just do whatever the fuck they want to do with no consequences ever anyway?
Those laws are for us, not them. Makes their lives much easier.
two-day-old story from msm
The story hasn't been on cbs, nbc, abc, msnbc, cnn in the US, or any major newspapers.
Am I wrong?
Link please, to back up that claim.
Crickets...
USA USA USA
About 30+ years ago the State of California exempted themselves from 'copy right law',
I'm sure that under some super secret executive order at the Federal Level, you can find the same,
Just like our Congress, they might tell you all what to do, but they always 'exempt' themselves from their stupid fucking laws, and especially 'intellectual property'.
What I'm trying to say, is that 'stealing software' is selectively enforced by the FBI only on 'little people'.
On the other hand, it would be kinda cool to see the BSA get a smart bomb down their throats...
The BSA ONLY fucks people in the ASS that can't fight back.
Move along.
Joe is heading out to Asia, I read, to straighten out the Chinese. We couldn't be in better hands.
Well no one expects Globalist Merceneries to abide by the law. While working for the banksters you do what banksters do.
BitCoin
next: 1.2005100
i guess this cost cutting plan didnt go well for some generals, now they have to pay back from their bonuses.
the indonesian had to do something for an encore after the ed meese stole promis software which in turn led to the murder of vincent foster. if the government isn't stealing software it's employees are downloading porn at sec. change the c to an x and you have the truth.
OT
US base attack Japan Tokyo: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/28/world/asia/japan-base-blasts/
I wonder if the JRA has been activated
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Red_Army
strange days
Sounds like it was decent software. They prolly should have used some of it on the health thing
Using "GSA" pricing of $1.5M a server and $5K per user, HHS could have had 4 server licenses and over 118,500 user licenses for the cluster FROCK Obummer Care. Instead they piss away $600M for naught!
This administration is a joke!
...a sham...within a sham...within a sham...
A riddle, wrapped in an enigma, wrapped in a straight-jacket.
Heart of Darkness, indeed.
Wow. I always believe nothing that can surprise me anymore. And I'm always wrong.
And what a brilliant, hilarious article. Tx ZH!
Most vile and corrupt US adminstration ever, hands down bar none!
Ok, maybe Woodrow Wilson but it was a bit out of my lifetime.
Back, and to the left. Back, and to the left. Back, and to the left.
Lol. Do as I say, not as I do. Maybe someone should start compiling an Encyclopedia Hypocriteca to keep track of the voluminous mountains of bullshit the US government generates on an hourly basis.
Remember, the Obama, the Bush, and the Clinton administration didn't give a shit about US tech workers or US tech firms when it came to allowing over a million foreign nationals into the country on H-1B visas while our best and brightest techies were submitting resumes, by the thousands, to firms looking for jobs.
Well tell all those best and brightest techies to send resumes to me. Would hire 5 US citizen software developers, DBMAs, and Network managers tomorrow at a very nice salary (but not 6 figures) if I could find any who could actually write reliable software, manage databases, and configure and manage networks. C++ and Java, MySQL, and CCNA in particular. We are continuously recruiting for those positions, and it is VERY hard to find anyone with even a modest level of competence.
So I call BS on your claim that "best and brightest techies" can't find jobs. They need to move to Atlanta - plenty of jobs available here for people with actual skills.
I believe you and wish you the best in your business. But I have to tell you Atlanta sucks. Been there lived there and will never go back.
You get what you pay for. Don't blame the best & brightest for your dubious business practices.
Sam Cooke - Wonderful World (lyrics)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNO72aCnVr0
"BSA: REPORT SOFTWARE PIRACY NOW! YOUR REPORT IS CONFIDENTIAL."
https://reporting.bsa.org/r/report/add.aspx?src=us&ln=en-us
HOW DO YOU CALCULATE REWARDS FOR REPORTING SOFTWARE THEFT?
A reward may be payable only if BSA pursues an investigation and, as a direct result of the information provided by you, receives a monetary settlement from the reported organization. The amount you may receive is based on a sliding scale as outlined in the Terms and Conditionsavailable on the BSA website.
Civil servants should carefully consider this option as part of their retirement package - make the chain of command pay while you play.
Fleecing the peasants by falsely charging taxpayers for a OS system that was dl from Deepnet. Wonder if they used Gopher Protocol? LOL
Nah, it's ok, there's no case to answer here. TPTB have a perpetual, nonrevocable, free-of-charge, universal license key: 1800-FUCK-YO.
Amazing! Only one single down arrow on this whole page. Obviously an Obamatard.
I think the cocksucker was probably just a "fan" of mine.
Nah, some clown with the user name Olto got the prize for down arrows. I think someone told him they're the next bit coin.
Better get Holder on the case to ensure justice is dispensed (with).
Jay Carney stated during today's White House Press Briefing: "The President was not told about the piracy. He now has his team looking into it."
If only the President could have found a campaign bundler to create the software needed.
Google Inslaw and/or Promis to understand how long this sort of thing has been going on.
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/1.01/inslaw.html
The House Judiciary Committee lists these crimes as among the possible violations perpetrated by "high-level Justice officials and private individuals":
>> Conspiracy to commit an offense
>> Fraud
>> Wire fraud
>> Obstruction of proceedings before departments, agencies and committees
>> Tampering with a witness
>> Retaliation against a witness
>> Perjury
>> Interference with commerce by threats or violence
>> Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) violations
>> Transportation of stolen goods, securities, moneys
>> Receiving stolen goo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Casolaro
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Webb
Piracy steaing on/from/about/with a boat, and hopefully a cutlass and pistol.
Copying computer software is not a crime. Because anything that upsets Billy Gates is good.
Piracy steaing on/from/about/with a boat, and hopefully a cutlass and pistol.
Copying computer software is not a crime. Because anything that upsets Billy Gates is good.