(IDG) -- The White House wants federal agencies to take a stronger stance against software piracy and is calling on the U.S. Trade Representative to press foreign governments on the issue.

"Today, we are declaring war on software piracy," Vice President Al Gore said yesterday in a statement. "The message is clear: Don't copy that floppy. At home or abroad, intellectual property must be protected."

The executive order, which President Clinton signed yesterday, requires agencies to ensure that only registered software is used on government-owned computers. They must also prepare inventories and maintain record-keeping systems for the software being used.

The U.S. government is the world's top buyer of computer-related goods and services, spending more than $20 billion annually. According to government estimates, $11 billion in revenue was lost worldwide last year because of software piracy.

Over the next year, U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky will work with software companies in a bid to convince foreign governments to modernize their software management systems while simultaneously taking steps that ensure the use of "legal software," Gore said.

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What would you do if your caught a co-worker pirating? (Computerworld)
Technology may solve the software piracy dilemma, but don't hold your breath (InfoWorld Electric)
Is software piracy enough of a problem to justify vendors' anti-theft efforts? (InfoWorld Electric)
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