Software pirate gets record sentence

[joule]

A U.S. judge on Friday sentenced the owner and operator of iBackups.net to 87 months in prison, the longest sentence ever given for software piracy, according to a software trade group.

Nathan Peterson, of Antelope Acres, California, also forfeited nearly all of his assets to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Alexandria, and he agreed to pay more than US$5.4 million in restitution, the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) said. Peterson pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal copyright infringement in December.

At that time, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) called Backups.net "the largest for-profit software piracy site ever shut down by law enforcement." The Web site illegally sold software that would have been worth $20 million on the retail market, the DOJ said.

Peterson will begin paying off the remaining $5 million in damages 60 days after his release from prison, at a rate of $200 per month.

In criminal piracy cases, the average damages resulting from pirated software are just over $9 million, or less than half of the $20 million caused by iBackups, SIIA said. The $5.4 million Peterson agreed to pay in restitution is eight times the average fine of $659,000, according to a SIIA study tracking U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation cases on software piracy reported since 2000.

Peterson's site used Google.com text ads to find customers, SIIA said. Buyers should be aware of the possibility that software being sold through text ads might not be legal, the trade group said.

Neither the prosecutor nor Peterson's attorney immediately returned calls seeking comment.

Source

87 months = 7.25 years

That's a longer sentence than some manslaughter sentences. So I guess it's worse to pirate software than to kill someone.

 

[Lucid]

Jesus christ. :|

 

[function9]

That's a longer sentence than some manslaughter sentences. So I guess it's worse to pirate software than to kill someone.

Hey corporations aren't losing money if you kill someone.

 

[Black_Wolf]

Hey corporations aren't losing money if you kill someone.

Thats a fallacy,most people simply wouldnt get the product if they had to pay for it.

 

[DEATHMASTER]

Harsh sentance, but damn thats a crapload of stuff
(hey this is my 600th post!)

 

[Asus]

I think that 7 years is fine. That's a lot of piracy for profit!
If anything maybe sentences for murder should be increased.

(hey this is my 600th post!)

At least you are not a spammer like some around here.

 

[Puzzlemaker]

I think that 7 years is fine. That's a lot of piracy for profit!
If anything maybe sentences for murder should be increased.

Manslaughter is diffrent from murder. And notice he said Some manslaughter sentances.

 

[Razor]

It will take over 2000years for him to pay off his debt...

 

[Raziaar]

Can he leave the country after prison, and not have to pay all that fines? He obviously can never pay it off...

Or can he file bankruptcy or something and abolish the debt and start his life clean?

 

[DEATHMASTER]

sounds like a plan, hopefully he can think of it and remember it in 2013 (or 2014)

 

[Majestic XII]

I hope it was worth it for the record companies to ruin one mans life (thinking about the fine).

Not that I support selling pirated stuff... but still.

 

[smwScott]

He probably will end up in a minimum security prison and be out in a few years on good behavior. Then once his parole is up, maybe he can file for bankruptcy. Leaving the country wouldn't absolve his debt.

But yeah, the sentences are a bit out of whack. It's not uncommon for child molestors to get lighter sentences than 7 years, as well as many other crimes worse than software piracy.

 

[NorphTehDwarf]

Every time something like this happens, it's a PR coup for the anti-corporate organizations.

 

[nutcrackr]

largest for profit software site and it only sold $20 million worth of software? That's next to nothing.

 

[Parrot of doom]

You cannot compare crimes via the length of sentences. It doesn't work.

 

[Jintor]

Sounds like they're further reducing the number of pirates. What's going to happen to global warming now?

 

[hungryduck]

Sounds like they're further reducing the number of pirates. What's going to happen to global warming now?

I guess we'll all have to fart more.

but wow, that sucks, even though what he was doing was basically stealing millions of buckaroo's. As I always say: Sucks to be him!