Are you a software pirate? If you've ever copied, distributed, or installed software without complying with the licensing agreement, you are. And considering one in every three copies of software worldwide is pirated, there's a good chance you have illegal copies in your office.

It may seem harmless, but software piracy is severe. According to studies by the Business Software Alliance (BSA), software piracy cost employees hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in wages each year.

Your business is at risk too. If you get caught pirating software, you can face stiff penalties. Software publishers are protected under federal copyright laws. If a software publisher sues you, you could pay up to $150,000 in fines for each illegal copy. If the government prosecutes, you could face up to $250,000 in fines and five years in jail. In the past eight years, the BSA has collected $58 million in penalties from companies caught using software illegally.

So what can you do? If you live in the Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, or Denver areas, you can come clean during February. The BSA is holding a Truce campaign from Feb. 1 to Feb. 28. Businesses can come forward at this time and straighten out any illegal use of software prior to Feb. 1 by paying for licenses without facing any penalties. Businesses can participate by registering on the BSA Web site (www.bsa.org).

Before you write off the BSA Truce campaign, you might want to take a close look at the software in your office. Many businesses don't even realize they are using software illegally. Employees often unknowingly install one copy of software on multiple computers, for instance. Unfortunately, even mistakes are at risk for punishment. The BSA offers a free audit tool on their site to help you determine whether you're using unlicensed or illegal software.

If you do have pirated software in your office, the Truce campaign is the right time to come forward and avoid expensive penalties. If you're out of range of the cities the Truce is being held in, the BSA has a hotline that will help answer any questions or concerns you have about pirated software (888 NO PIRACY).