Online Computer Terms Dictionary - F

Federation Against Software Theft Limited

<body, legal> (FAST) A non-profitmaking organisation, formed in 1984 by the software industry with the aim of eradicating software theft in the UK. FAST was the world's first anti-piracy organisation to work to protect the intellectual property rights of software publishers. Initially concentrating on lobbying parliament to revise Copyright law, FAST also prosecutes organisations and individuals for software theft on behalf of its members and publicises the legal penalties and security risks.

FAST Corporate Services Limited runs the FAST Standard for Software Compliance (FSSC-1:2004). This was developed in collaboration with the British Standards Institution as an independent standard of excellence in software compliance.

In 1995 FAST proposed to merge with the Business Software Alliance created by Microsoft and which has a world-wide influence. However, the talks fell through and in 1996, Novell and Adobe Systems, Inc. defected to BSA.

Through its activities, and the FAST programme, over £1.25m of software was purchased in the UK in 2003 and 2004 with over £5.5m during the last five years.

FAST Home.

E-mail: <fast@fast.org>.

Address: York House, 18 York Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 1SF.

Telephone: +44 (1628) 622 121

(2005-12-27)