Following Equator’s fine of £18,000 by the Business Software Alliance, its managing director John McLeish has warned other companies of how easy it is to be caught out by software licensing restrictions.

With the BSA about to complete its review of Glasgow businesses, McLeish has said that the restrictions “are quite complex” and that many businesses don’t fully understand them.

“It’s quite an easy trap to fall into,” he added.

According to McLeish, the Glasgow-based digital agency has an Enterprise license that gives the agency access to all Microsoft software, which he thought granted unlimited use, but it transpired that this was only for a limited external use of 10 packages.

McLeish said that he had “learned a lesson” and that he recommended that companies “not assume that every I is dotted and that every T is crossed, and to put in place a stringent procurement licensing scenario so that everything is recorded and that everyone knows what the restrictions are.”

As a result, Equator will now follow a strict recording process of all digital activities.