SOFTWARE PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION SUES RENTAL BUSINESSES ACROSS CANADA

1993 Amendents to Canadian Copyright Act Tested

August 14, 1995 (Washington, DC) -- The Software Publishers Association
(SPA) announced today that it filed lawsuits on behalf of its members
against five organizations in Canada for illegally renting SPA member
software programs. Parliament amended the Canadian Copyright Act in 1993
to include the rental of software as a distinct right which cannot be
exercised without the express authorization of the copyright owner.

The suits were filed against retail stores Crazy Irving in Montreal,
SoftWarehouse, Jumbo Software and Jumbo Software Guelph in Southwestern
Ontario, and Gametronics in Calgary, on behalf of six SPA members:
Br0derbund Software, Living Books, Papyrus Design Group, Delrina, Intuit
Inc., and LucasArts Entertainment Company.

The SPA began to investigate these businesses following receipt of reports
on the SPA's anti-piracy hotline, 800-388-7478. Further investigation
showed that the businesses allowed customers to take programs home for a
nominal fee, then return those programs within a few days.

In announcing the legal actions taken, SPA is seeking, among other things,
a permanent injunction, punitive damages and profits earned from rental of
their members' software.

Sandra Sellers, SPA Director of Litigation, states that "these cases are
very important. We are not only fighting these five organizations but are
sending a message to the industry as a whole that the rental provisions of
the Copyright Act will be enforced in Canada as well as the United
States."

In March, 1995, a US federal court ruled in favor of SPA members in a civil
copyright infringement suit against Global Software & Accessories, Inc.
for unauthorized rental of computer software.

The lawsuits are part of SPA's ongoing anti-piracy activities. Since 1988
the Software Publishers Association has fought software piracy through
education and enforcement. The SPA distributes free of charge materials
designed to educate software users and to help businesses, government
entities, and educational institutions manage their internal software
practices. The SPA also has initiated thousands of lawsuits and audits on
behalf of its members against businesses, computer dealers, bulletin board
services, and educational institutions that have violated its members'
copyrights. The SPA's anti- piracy hotline, 800-388-7478, accepts calls
from throughout Canada and the US reporting software violations and
requests for information and materials.SPA may also be contacted on the
Internet at piracy@spa.org.

The Software Publishers Association is the principal trade association of
the personal computer software industry. Its over 1,160 mmembers represent
the leading publishers in the business, consumer, education, and
entertainment software markets. The SPA has offices in Washington, DC and
Paris, France. SPA press releases are available on-line through Compuserve
(GO: SPAFORUM) or on the Internet (http://www.spa.org).

Software Publishers Association
1730 M St, Northwest, Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20036
202-452-1600,  Fax: 202-223-8756
 
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