Glasgow has been crowned the worst city in the UK for software piracy outside of Greater London.

In a bid to crackdown on the problem, the Business Software Alliance (BSA) will kick-off a month-long awareness campaign this week.

The BSA said from this Thursday (1 November) local businesses will be given a 30 day cooling off period to give them the opportunity to ensure that all software is fully licensed and legal.

BSA didn't offer any explanation for Glaswegian businesses's piratical tendencies. It said it will be writing to about 8,000 firms in the Scottish city warning them to dump any illegally installed applications before the 30 day period is up.

The BSA letter will advise local firms to audit all software installed on company-owned computer kit. They will also be asked to ensure license agreements are adhered to.

Businesses that hold their hands up and admit to having dodgy software installed during the campaign will not be slapped with legal action, said the BSA.

"We urge Glasgow's businesses to make the most of this 30 day period – come forward and make sure that your software licensing is up to scratch before it's too late," said BSA committee chair Ram Dhaliwal.

Unsurprisingly, some big name tech firms have thrown their weight behind the campaign to protect their intellectual property rights against software piracy including Apple, Microsoft, Symantec and Adobe. ®