Usually you do have recourse via procurement channels and reps. If you file a complaint with that agency stating that they’re using a license without paying for it, it will result in at least an investigation.

I wouldn't. I'd hire some Peter Gibbons type, who only does about 15 minutes of real, actual work in a typical week. Then I'd tell them they can finish early if all their pending cases are closed.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2008/08/air-force-cracks...

And unpaid software licenses are a violation.

Now maybe the client in this case may have had some kind if ownership clause, etc. but in general, procurement people tend to be pretty neutral in my experience.

Then again, over only dealt with small contracts (< $500k)

We have had companies outright refuse to even give us a price when we told them we wanted to investigate buying a license. Such a PITA.

Hopefully this was fixed, but this was the standing precedent at the time.