53.7 F
San Diego
Thursday, Mar 28, 2024
-Advertisement-

Websense to Hunt for Pirated Software

Websense to Hunt for Pirated Software

Technology: New Program Scans Systems For Unlicensed Software

BY BRAD GRAVES

Staff Writer

Websense Inc., the San Diego-based Web-filter software company, intends to shake its status as a one-product shop.

The company announced a plan last week to scour corporate clients’ computers for unlicensed content, including software, games, movies and music.

It will do so beginning in the second half of 2003, in conjunction with Macrovision Corp. of Santa Clara.

Websense will call its product Liability Protector.

Websense has used the specter of legal liability to market its products. Company promotional materials noted that in April, the recording industry reached a $1 million, out-of-court settlement with an Arizona company whose employees swapped MP3-format music files on its corporate network.

Websense also noted the Business Software Alliance’s work in prosecuting companies that use pirated software.

Employees often download movies and music at work because that is where they have access to high-bandwidth Internet connections.

Websense said it and Macrovision would develop “complementary solutions” to prevent the unauthorized storage, use and distribution of copyrighted content. Macrovision makes copy protection software.

Websense’s current, flagship product is “filter” software that prevents people who are surfing the Net from calling up Web sites that are objectionable to their employers. The company serves big corporate and institutional computer systems; it also serves companies with as few as 100 employees.

Separately, Websense said that it and Tumbleweed Communications Corp. of Redwood City would market their products together. Tumbleweed provides secure e-mail software to big, corporate clients.

Websense, which trades on the Nasdaq under the symbol WBSN, closed Oct. 9 at $11.91 per share.

The company has reported quarterly sales growth since the first quarter of 2000.

Yet its stock price is down from June. Its 52-week range has been $10.35 to $35.

Websense will release its third-quarter financial results Oct. 22.

-Advertisement-

Featured Articles

-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-

Related Articles

-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-