IRS Violating Software License Terms

The IRS is using some computer software that it hasn’t paid for, and is paying for other programs its employees aren’t even using, according to a new TIGTA audit released Tuesday that said the tax agency could be violating copyright laws.

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration found serious problems with IRS software license management practices, many of which could be remedied if they would simply keep better records.  Read the full report here.

Software licenses are typically written in such a way that the software may be shared only on a certain number of computers.  The IRS appears to be doing what so many other private parties tend to do: sharing software on more systems than is allowed by a license.  And then they have also been doing what few people in their right mind would do: paying for licenses that they aren’t using.  This is a signature IRS move if I have ever seen one!