My opinion of CERN has gone done a few notches after reading this bitchy blog post, this is some poor sap's life they have ruined for taking initiative around silly restrictions to get shit done.
They should have contacted the software company in question and settled this, now both CERN and Allsim have a bad reputation and a student is deep in debt
The keyword here is CAN, no harm was done to CERN in this case that we know of.
It makes for a toxic workplace once employees/students in a facility feel like they can be thrown under a bus by management, or worse purposefully made an example of.
The whole approach here is destructive and makes me think that someone at CERN went on a power trip and is a real arsehole to work for.
Yes it was. CERN's negotiated contracts were broken, triggering a 30K damage award. Just because it's "on paper" doesn't mean the damage isn't real. He could have done the same kind of damage if he had sexually harassed an underling.[1]
I can say with very high confidence that "don't pirate software" is a key part of orientation at CERN, the same way as at most large companies.
The student might not have known about the specifics of the contract (and he shouldn't pay the 30K), but it's not the company's responsibility to tell each and every idiot "here is why you obey our policies." It's the company's responsibility to tell each idiot "these rules are important to obey."
[1] of course the student likely didn't have any reports
They should have contacted the software company in question and settled this, now both CERN and Allsim have a bad reputation and a student is deep in debt