The Federation Against Software Theft (FAST) has launched a new membership programme, developed over the past year reflecting the changes that have transformed the software industry since the industry body first launched over 30 years ago.
In 1984 FAST became the UK’s first software anti-piracy organisation to campaign for changes to the copyright law on behalf of the software industry. However, the software and IP landscapes have shifted significantly since the industry body first launched.
Alex Hilton, CEO, FAST, stated: “According to the Department for Culture, Media and Sports, in 2012 the Creative Economy accounted for one out of every 12 jobs in the UK and specifically the IT software and computer services sector accounted for the employment of 791,000 people. With such a large UK workforce focused on technology, innovation and services, the number of software development companies has inevitably dramatically risen. According to industry analyst IDC, there are now in excess of 11,000,000 software developers globally. The same research estimates that there are as many as 8,000 software and application development businesses here in the UK alone. And the majority of those employ less than 50 people.”
“We have carefully considered how we can add value to the UK software developer, ensuring we are relevant to them. We are therefore now offering support, networking, advisory services and resources to help British born businesses, from startups to established companies,” he added.
The new membership scheme created by FAST will continue to address the needs of the established software publishers and the value chain, but will now deliver a number of new benefits for the rapidly evolving SMB software sector that invariably faces different business challenges and needs.
“With five membership categories – ranging from the sub £250,000 turnover through to the £25m plus – we are now better able to offer bespoke membership packages, tailored to the individual needs of members,” continued Alex.
Not only do members continue to have the value of brand association with FAST, members will now gain access to legal advice (based on the membership type and fee level) Inngot IP valuation, discounted corporate banking (up to £800), promotional Escrow agreement costs, networking opportunities, event and PR support. Further benefits are available to those members with greater turnover including email campaigns, research projects, enforcement assistance and webinars.
Furthermore, each member will have a dedicated login area on the FAST website that will give them access to their bespoke programme benefits.
Alex Hilton: “The growth of the start-up community in the UK has bought with it a host of challenges that membership of FAST can now address. Legal guidance to members, IP valuation, discounted banking and access to our Knowledgebase resource on the FAST membership website, all adds up to help growing businesses.”