The Business Software Alliance (BSA) has hit back at claims it is harassing users and calls that IT supplier should stop supporting the organisation.

Blue chip user group the Corporate IT Forum (Tif) said last week that the BSA's practice of sending letters inquiring about illegal software was 'continued harassment of many of its corporate subscribers' (Computing 14 October).

But Siobhan Carroll, regional manager of Northern Europe at the BSA, a body established to police illegal software, says Tif's comments are 'misguided and unhelpful'.

'The use of illegal software, whether deliberate or accidental, is on the rise amongst businesses of all sizes in the UK,' she said.

'The use of illegal software helps neither the company nor the vendor.'

Carroll says organisations using illegal software miss out on free services and support, which can help prevent security breaches, while vendors have less to spend on innovation.

'The rise of the internet and peer-to-peer technologies has made it far easier for all staff to purchase and/or download illegal software, so the task of tracking software usage facing IT managers in business grows ever more challenging,' she said.

'Businesses need all the help they can get to keep control in this environment.

'No-one likes being reminded of their legal responsibilities, but, with the addition of constructive help, they are often grateful for it in retrospect.'