More balls than brains
Sambodidley
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Software Pirate Pleads Guilty
California man faces record fine, prison for selling pirated software as
'backups.'
Grant Gross, IDG News Service
Thursday, December 15, 2005
WASHINGTON -- A California man who operated a Web site selling millions of
dollars of pirated software has pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal
copyright infringement, the Department of Justice says.
Nathan Peterson, 26, of Antelope Acres, California, pleaded guilty Tuesday in
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Alexandria.
Peterson was owner of iBackups.net, "the largest for-profit software piracy
site ever shut down by law enforcement," U.S. Attorney Paul McNulty of the
Eastern District of Virginia said in a statement.
Peterson faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison and a $500,000 fine.
Sentencing is scheduled for April 14. Including restitution of $5.4 million,
the penalties may be the highest ever imposed on a software pirate, said the
Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA). The trade group in 2003
alerted the FBI, which has been cracking down on piracy, of possible
copyright violations at iBackups.
Peterson's Web site was responsible for close to $20 million taken away from
software vendors, the DOJ said. Peterson told customers that software sold on
iBackups was legal "backup software" to protect against computer crashes,
SIIA said.
Site Shut Down
The iBackups site, distributing products via downloads or mail, sold software
"substantially below" suggested retail prices from companies such as Adobe
Systems, Macromedia, Microsoft, and Symantec, the DOJ said.
Law enforcement authorities shut down iBackups in February, and the site now
tells visitors it was shuttered by the FBI and DOJ. The site started
operating in 2003 and advertised its products over the Internet, SIIA said.
Peterson used iBackups to fund an "extravagant lifestyle," including
purchases of multiple homes, cars, and a boat, the DOJ said. The government
seized numerous assets from Peterson, including a restored 1949 Mercury Coupe
vehicle purchased for $44,000, a 2005 Dodge Ram, a 2003 Chevrolet Corvette, a
2004 Toyota Camry, a 2005 Toyota Corolla, and a 2006 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
bought for $125,000.
Ricky Hunt
news:Xns972DC3566E...@213.155.197.138...
> Software Pirate Pleads Guilty
>
He couldn't sell them if no one ways buying. I wonder why they've never done
a big ad campaign about why it's wrong and hurtful to the industry? The
average person I know has no idea that copying a CD of audio or music is
illegal or immoral. I know the music industry tried once but having Britney
Spears tell you how bad it hurts wasn't smart. They need an information
campaign.
Sambodidley
news:p6n9q1hltk7k25b8b...@4ax.com:
>
> Was somebody calling me?
>
Elephantiasis? <g>
PapaNate
> Wonder why it took so long to shut this dood down?
And it makes me wonder what the DOJ and FBI did with all the sales records...as
in I'll bet a lot of people are now going to get knocks at their door from the
FBI and a search warrant demanding to delete the *illegal* software they
purchased.
Sambodidley
"PapaNate" wrote
That's what happened one time when some dood was busted for selling those
magic cards for your satelite receiver. A lot of people in his data base
got unexpected calls from the FBI.