Hi all New to this forum but have read all the threads about these Dessault cases with great interest. I received the same email yesterday and would be grateful if someone could tell me what the outcome of their situation was given that over a year has passed since this discussion was active....are you all in prison? Or sold your homes to pay for a licence?! A little bit about my situation; I am a designer and have from time to time used Solidworks although it is not my default package hence the reason I couldn't afford to lump out the thousands they ask. I am a soletrader and only do this as part of my income, the rest of time is spent lecturing at a university. If pressured I would probably buy the basic license to get them off my back but I fear they will press for the full premium pack which is mega £££££. I certainly can't afford it at the moment. Any input would be greatly received, last night's sleep was restless to say the least.

Hi chaps. I know this is a few months on but I’ve supposedly received one of these emails from CHCJ and got a slightly different story. Im a designer who uses CAD (specifically Solidworks) regularly. However up until March this year, this usage was wholly on an employed basis under full license from the companies who employed me within their office premises. I have just set up on my own (as in - less than. 6 weeks ago) and after a bit of searching bought a second hand Solidworks machine I found on Gumtree which was loaded with what the chap assured me was a legit copy of Solidworks 2017 and 2018. (It’s perfectly normal to run these versions concurrently). As well as some ancillary software that runs alongside. I had always intended to get my own Solidworks licence - as I wanted to upgrade to 2019 anyway but obviously I tested the machine for a week or so to make sure it could handle what I needed and whether I needed to upgrade anything - I did, as it happened, and bought a hefty RAM Upgrade. (At this point I should note - just for detail that the machine is actually a high spec Mac Pro running windows on boot camp - I liked this idea as I also make music in my spare time and the opportunity to dual boot into a little studio set up was a big plus.) I then set up my emails etc. (The email is - I fear you’ll see this coming - linked to the business domain I own and have just set up) so it would be used in the office. However I then removed Solidworks and phoned up the local reseller in Cambridge to find out how light my wallet was about to get. - I know from experience you can buy a monthly license package which is slightly less eye watering. Brilliantly - they signed me up to this thing called the Solidworks entrepreneur programme which gives startups like me free Solidworks for the 1st year and a discount thereafter. Which I was accepted for and given a brand new temporary license that I installed on my newly clean system and a meeting set up with the reseller for next week (today) in order for him to visit my office and install a permanent version based on my needs. This is all seemed great until this Thursday I got a call from him saying that he’d been phoned by Solidworks to say that I wasn’t eligible for the programme because there was an ongoing piracy case against my company. I pressed him for more details and he said I should have received correspondence from the solicitor named in this thread in relation to allegations of using pirated software. Which I haven’t. - emails checked and checked again. He promised to phone back on Friday but didn’t. Im now terrified that I’ve used a pirated version of Solidworks on that machine - which will be linked to the domain and email i set up. - which has - like the other chap on this thread “design” in the name. And that I’ve just installed the license they gave me on the machine with the same MAC address and IP. I should mention that IF the versions which were already installed on the machine WERE pirated - then I can see no way of an unwitting user being able to tell. When the loading screen popped up after i clicked on the icon to launch Solidworks it read “verifying licenses” just as it should. I had no reason to think it wasn’t 100% kosher. Sorry for the ramble. Any thoughts? I can’t afford to pay for the whole thing in one hit. And the version on my machine was the top notch affair with about 6 different add-ons. I’ve literally just started my business and I’m terrified. I’ve got my first contract due to begin this week and as it stands I won’t be able to work.

New code of conduct for artificial intelligence (AI) systems used by the NHS READ MORE HERE: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-code-of-conduct-for-artificial-intelligence-ai-systems-used-by-the-nhs

Hi All, I'm hoping that someone will be able to guide me through defending the following claim. I have taken a note of the subject information requirements before posting and I believe I've got them listed out correctly, here goes: Name of Claimant: Defence Systems Ltd T/A Park Watch Address for sending documents: Gladstones Solicitors Ltd Date of Issue: 15 June 2016 Timeline: 4 July 2016 (to acknowledge) + 14 Days (to submit defence) = 18 July 2016 Particulars of Claim: Date – 03/08/2015 – Description – Car Registration number/Parking charge notice Ref – Amount - £150.00 – Due Date – 31/08/2015 – Total Due - £150.00. And The Clamant Claims: The claimant claims the sum of £159.48 for parking charges and indemnity costs if applicable including £9.48 interest pursuant to S.69 of the County Courts Act 1984 Rate 8.00% pa from dates above to 14/06/2016. Same rate to Judgement or (sooner) payment. Daily rate to judgement £0.03. Total debt and interest £159.48. Amount claimed = £159.48 Court Fee = £25.00 Legal Rep Costs = £50.00 Total Amount = £234.48 The description reference referred to in their claim relates to ‘stopping in a no stopping area’. I have been contacted by three companies so far regarding this matter. Park Watch (a division of Defence Systems Ltd the ‘Claimant’) on 10 August 2015 (this letter included a photo image of the car in the no stopping area although there is no time stamp displayed on it) and again on 7 September 2015. Then I was contacted by a company called Debt Recovery Plus Ltd on 21 October 2015, 05 November 2015, 20 November 2015, 22 January 2016 and 08 February 2016. Then Gladstones Solicitors wrote to me on 22 March 2016 and then their letter before claim on 06 May 2016. None of the above correspondence gave notice of assignment. However, I have acknowledged service and indicated that I intend to defend. On the day of the alleged offence I had stopped the car outside the front of One Stop Shopping Centre (Perry Barr, Birmingham) to allow my other half to use their toilet facilities. The Mrs is registered disabled and has a blue badge, which was displayed in the car as I waited. I believe I was waiting for about 10 minutes for the Mrs to return. I have since been back to One Stop Shopping Centre and taken a photo of the sign and without zooming in with the camera or photo graph software, the contracting part of the sign cannot be easily read. It was noted that the sign used by Defence Systems Ltd to contract with consumers is about two and a half meters off the ground on a lamp post and on the left of the road. The sign cannot be seen from the driving seat, if your vehicle is right hand drive as mine is. Therefore, I can state that I did not read the sign or knew of its contractual element at the time the car stopped in front of the shopping centre. The sign reads: Park Watch Access Notice Bus Access Only No Unauthorised Access at Any Time Contractual Agreement This Land is Private Property and is managed by Park Watch If you enter this area contravening the above terms and conditions You are contractually agreeing to pay a parking charge to the sum of £100.00 (or the reduced sum of £60.00 if the payment is made within 14 days) should the parking charge remain unpaid you will incur additional costs as a result of further action taken against you Vehicles will be captured on camera the details of the registered owner may be acquired from the DVLA the registered owner will then be notified by post of the issue of this parking charge do not enter this area unless you agree to the above contractual charges Creidt/debit card charges apply, parking control and enforcement action may take place at any time Park Watch and their client accept no responsibility for loss or damage to cars of the contents thereof unless such a loss or damage is caused by negligence of Park Watch. Park Watch is soley responsible for providing space maximisation and is not responsible in any way for the car parks service

PIP assessments: 'Lack of trust' in benefits systems READ MORE HERE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43058789

Hi Guys, just given heads up or if anyone heard from this lot just got an email on a really really really old debt. Re: £Stg600.00 outstanding to our client DHR Capital Limited remaining from your loan with Tooth Fairy Finance. We are contacting you further to notices issued by our client in respect of the above outstanding debt. Please use fact-link for further information about your liability. Our client has confirmed that you have not contacted their offices to arrange settlement and we have therefore been appointed to bring this matter to a mutually beneficial conclusion. Please call 01707 252 909 or use live chat to arrange payment or discuss this matter with an account manager. Alternative payment methods and other information are listed below. Do not ignore this notice. It is important that you contact our offices immediately if there is any reason preventing you from making payment or you have a query which has not been resolved. Our company operates a 'Treating Customers Fairly' policy and our trained account handlers will ensure any proposals or enquires are resolved in a reasonable and fair manner. We look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience. Yours sincerely Alan Peters Collection Department Ways to Pay By Phone - call us on 01707 252 900 to make a payment using your debit card. If someone is paying on your behalf, or you are using their card, please ensure that they are available to authorise the payment. By the Internet - visit http://www.advancedcollection.co.uk/payonline You will need your account reference number By Online Banking - you can use your online banking service to make a payment to:Sort Code 20-92-54 | Account No 10060291. Please quote your ACS reference to ensure your payment is allocated correctly. At Your Bank - pay over the counter at any branch of your bank, building society or Post Office, quoting your reference and account details as above. By Cheque - made payable to ACS Limited and sent to our offices at:Steele House, 126 Great North Road, Hatfield, Herts, AL9 5JN.Please ensure your ACS reference is written clearly on the back of the cheque. By Pingit - you can use Barclays free Pingit service to make a secure payment fromyour mobile, even if you don't bank with Barclays. Just launch the Pingit app onyour mobile phone and use the short code PINGITQZQ910. If you don't have the app you can download it by texting Pingit to 62555. In Financial Difficulties? If you are having difficulty paying, please contact us as soon as possible. Ignoring your situation won't make it go away and we may be able to help. There are also lots of organisations* that can offer independent advice about debt. Here are a few: Business Debtline | http://www.bdl.org.uk | Freephone 0800 197 6026** Step Change | http://www.stepchange.org | Freephone 0800 138 1111** http://www.adviceguide.org.uk Advanced Collection Systems Ltd, Steele House, 126 Great North Road, Hatfield, Herts, AL95JN Tel: +44 (0) 1707 252900 Fax: +44 (0) 1707 252901 Email: [email protected] Authorised & regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under licence number 664331 Registered in England & Wales at: Steele House, 126 Gt North Road, Hatfield, AL95JN. Co No: 4096010

Hi I have received a claim form with a stamp and the county court address on there. It says on the back of the letter - Do not ignore this claim form - if you do nothing judgement may be entered against you without further notice. This will make it difficult for you to get credit. Included in the pack are Admission Form N9A Defence and Counterclaim Forrm N9B Acknowledgement of service The top two are options are self explanatory i believe it does state the following under the 'acknowledgement of service' option: If you file an acknowledgement of service but do not file a defence within 2 days of service of the claim form, or particulars of claim if served separately, judgement may be entered against you. If you do not file an application within 14 days of the date of filing this acknowledgement of service, it will be assumed that you accept the court's jurisdiction and judgement may be entered against you. I can recall this relates to when they claim I had stopped in a no stopping zone at one stop shopping centre in Perry Barr Birmingham. I was totally unaware of this till i recieved the letter and it was asking for £100! On recollection i had parked next to where all the taxis park, so my mother could run to the cash point. I was in my car at all times and my engine was on - she was back in my car in two minutes and i was out o there. There was no obstruction caused and i even doubt i crossed the line where the cross hatches begin - probably only to turn around and get out of there! Naturally i have been ignoring their demands and have not sent them anything, but upon receiving this now i am concerned as to what it is? Am i being taken to court? will i get a CCJ? and do i need to respond? what is my best course of action? Hoping somebody can advise me please. Many many thanks

Centrica-owned British Gas has to pay 9.5 million pounds ($11.9 million) in compensation to customers who faced billing problems after the household energy supplier upgraded its system in 2014, UK energy market regulator Ofgem said on Tuesday. Ofgem said British Gas, Britain's biggest energy supplier, had shown failings in its registrations, complaints handling and billing processes for business customers and over 6,000 new customers had experienced delays registering with the supplier. https://uk.news.yahoo.com/british-gas-pay-9-5-million-pound-customer-110752334--finance.html

I may or may not be receiving an NIP in the post soon. But I wish to vent my spleen somewhat over the circumstances of two incidents within the last few days involving traffic lights. The first was at a flyover with a roundabout underneath. There were three sets of lights to pass through in order for me to proceed onto a slip road where traffic merges from a 30 MPH zone to a 50 MPH portion of the motorway. I passed through the first set of lights on green at 20-25 MPH. The second set of lights changed to amber as I was crossing from one side of the road onto the slip road only for me to be met by the red lights of a pedestrian crossing. Which turned from amber to red at the same time as the second (previous) set of lights. There was no delay between them. There was a small space before the third set of lights for approximately one car length to stop. Because I was in the process of accelerating onto the slip road I would have had to slam on the brakes to avoid passing through the lights on red. This seemed counter intuitive to what I would expect when driving onto a slip road. Regardless of what the law says regarding driving through red lights. I felt it was not a fair system and in fact dangerous. I reported this to TFL on their website (without giving them my details of course). I have been beating myself up about it since. I am not sure if there were cameras there or not and it caused me considerable anxiety. The second time was only yesterday. There is a dual carriageway with a 40 MPH limit. This particular set of lights is quite odious. It has a red light camera (I assume) and speed camera lines on the junction. It is a major road junction that allows turning of traffic onto a minor road. I approached it with some trepidation wondering what the best plan of attack was. Begin to slow in preparation for a red light or continue at just under 38 MPH. I made the decision to continue at speed and that was when the lights turned amber. I decided to continue at speed and accelerated ever so slightly. I do not believe I broke the speed limit. However I am unsure if I made it through in time for the light turning red. From my understanding there is no requirement to slow down when approaching traffic lights unless they have already begun changing to amber and you do not think you will be able to cross the junction in time. But I may need my mind refreshing on if the highway code says otherwise. Especially since this was a dual carriageway with a 'continuous' 40 MPH limit. Because this is faster than 30 MPH it requires more stopping distance and this concerns me. Especially since they appear to have placed a speed trap on the junction as well. If you are getting close to the lights at speed (remember I have not broken the speed limit) then it leaves you very little room to stop without slamming on the brakes. But if you are pushed to accelerate through the lights at amber this could place you at risk of being snapped on a speeding charge or possibly being hit on both a red light and a speeding charge. The whole thing appears a bit catch 22 and very suspect IMHO. I have been VERY aware of my driving with regards to traffic lights of late and every time I approach a set I get more cautious and 'driven' to distraction with regards to how they operate and how I should deal with them. I have been driving for over 30 years now and it's only in the last few years I have noticed these issues. I never used to have issue with passing through lights but in recent times it appears the odds are being ever more stacked against drivers to be pushed into 'breaking the law' so to speak. Despite what they keep telling us about it being in order to make things safer for both drivers and pedestrians. The odds are you will make that 'mistake' sooner or later. To me it smacks of both incompetence and a cash grab.

I was quite disturbed this morning when I wondered whether certain Insurance Companies are [problem]ming the public via computer systems which ask you to pay more money than you should be. I am a landlord and insured my first house in early July via Bedford Insurance and a company 'e-unlimited'. I paid £315.13 for the whole year. I was told that when occupied this would fall to £178.13. Due to extensive renovation, a tenant walked into my house on Wednesday ie. exactly 5 months from the date of insurance cover. I contacted 'Bedford Insurance' and after having done some basic sums beforehand was surprised to discover that the money due back to me was less than I expected. I spoke to two insurance brokers who immediately got defensive when I questioned this figure stating they were simply doing what the computer had told them. Given there was a discrepancy of £7.28 in my favour, I asked whether I could speak to a manager. Credit to the manager, he did phone me back this morning, much to my surprise, and he bothered to go through the sums in detail with me. He suggested that insurance quotes go up and down and therefore wondered whether the £178.13 quoted to me in early July was now higher. On checking, and much to his embarrassment, it was a little lower! He agreed with my sums and then, almost flippantly, said he would offer an additional £10 on to the quote the computer gave me the previous day. This leads to a disturbing question: How many people are paying more than they should be because the computer has got the sums wrong? Or more conspiratorially, are some companies purposefully manipulating the computer system to achieve financial figures very much more in their favour?

is there an updated template for a banking issue in regards to trying to claim bk bank charges or is it not possible anymore ? cheers p.s i just phone my bank and they told me it aint possible to do this anymore , i dont know whether they are just trying to fob me off lol

Hello all, I have received a "PARKING CHARGE NOTICE" from VEHICLE CONTROL SYSTEMS. It shows two pictures of the rear of my car, stopped to pick up passengers. I was not driving at the time it was someone else. The picture does not show how long the car was stopped. It states that "liability for this parking charge notice lies with the driver of the vehicle". Do I have to tell them who was driving, and pay £60 charge? Any advice would be gratefully received. Thanks. J.Mc

Hardly surprising given aftermath that recent computer problems have seen by 3 banks. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-19929376

Customer Update Many customers should continue to see an improved position on their accounts today, with account transactions continuing to update. We now expect that next week (commencing 9 July) will be the final week of any significant delays for Ulster Bank customers. We expect gradual, but significant and noticeable improvements throughout the remainder of this week and next. It is our expectation that by the week of the 16 July the vast majority of customers will return to a normal service. There may be some final reconciliations required to customers' accounts.We will provide updates daily on our progress. You can find out more by reading the latest media statement from RBS Group. We know this disruption to our customers is unacceptable and we're committed to doing all we can to help as many of our customers as possible. 42 of our branches will have extended opening hours from 9.30am to 7pm until Friday 6 July. . To help us facilitate your requests, please bring photographic identification and your account details (account number and sort code) . Please bring your payslip if the balance does not reflect any salary payments. We have also doubled the number of staff available in our call centres. Our dedicated help desk is open 8am to 10pm to take your call on 0800 231232. If you are calling from abroad please call +4428 90843556. We confirm that no customer will be permanently out of pocket and there should be no adverse impact on customers' credit ratings as a result of this incident. We will continue to post daily updates here. Follow us on Twitter @ulsterbankgroup Key Questions on Customers' Minds How can I access cash? If your balance does not reflect up to date payments due into your account, please come to any Ulster Bank branch with your photographic ID and your account details. Please bring your payslip if the balance does not reflect any salary payments. Ulster Bank credit card holders may also use their card for cash withdrawals from an ATM; no cash advance fee or interest will be charged for using this service provided the amount withdrawn is repaid within one month of the withdrawal. What is the situation with lodgements made to my account? Electronic payments are being received into accounts but they are delayed. If your salary, pension or welfare payment was due to be paid into your account before Thursday 21st June, this is now in your account balance. If you were due to receive your salary via an electronic payment between Thursday 21st and Friday 29th June this may not yet be in your account. Lodgements of cash or cheques made over our branch counters from Wednesday 20th June are receipted but have yet to be credited to customers' accounts and will be credited as we clear the backlog. What about my direct debit, will it be paid? Direct Debits that were received between 21st of June and 3rd of July will be paid; however, you may not see these reflected in your account until our systems have been fully restored. Direct Debits up to 20 June have been processed as normal. You may wish to let the beneficiary know that there is a delay. We understand that customers are concerned they might get disconnected from a utility or service provider if their account is not paid. We would like to reassure our customers and those of other banks, that we are working with other banks, service providers, insurance and utility companies to make sure that, as a result of this issue, customers will not be without their services, will not be permanently out of pocket and will not have their credit record affected. Is Anytime internet and mobile banking operational? Yes, our internet banking and mobile services are available to allow you to view your accounts, make transfers and pay bills. Please note that you will only be able to make transfers and pay bills on Anytime internet or mobile banking up to the stated balance which may not be up to date. As we update our systems there may be times when the service is temporarily unavailable; if this happens please try again later. Please remember we will never contact you to ask you for your PIN or password. We have suspended our text balance service while we resolve this issue.