The North Holland District Court ruled that Hooks Creative and Soopl violated copyrights of Dassault Systèmes by using Dassault software without a licence. The damages were based on the licence fees they would otherwise have had to pay.
The North Holland District Court ruled in a case in which Dassault Systèmes, part of SolidWorks Corporation, acted against Hooks Creative B.V. and Soopl B.V. Dassault alleged that the defendants used their 3D CAD software SolidWorks without a valid licence between 2019 and 2023. Through built-in security tools, it was found that the software was running without permission on multiple computers within these companies.
Unlawful use leads to damages
Dassault seized evidence and claimed damages based on the licence fees that defendants would normally have had to pay.
The court found in favour of Dassault: there was copyright infringement, and defendants had to pay compensation in the amount of the lost licensing revenue.
The court also awarded additional compensation for the costs incurred by Dassault in locating and enforcing its rights. Defendants were ordered to pay the litigation costs.
Good Law: protection of property is essential
Good Law stresses that this ruling confirms the importance of protecting intellectual property. Software developers invest time and resources in their products and should be able to enforce their rights.
This case shows that companies that use unlicensed software are not only at risk of legal action, but also of paying damages starting from the price they would otherwise have paid for a legal licence.
For entrepreneurs, it is clear: make sure your licences are in order. Not only to avoid legal problems, but also to respect the value of intellectual property.
