Pirated software used to design Patriot missiles and Blackhawk Helicopters

[techbeck]

Pirated software was used to make components for military radar systems, Blackhawk helicopters, Patriot missiles, and the President's transport helicopter Marine One. Defense contractor Wronald Best has been sentenced to 366 days in prison for purchasing 70 pirated industrial design applications from Chinese and Russian sources. The Department of Defense and Secret Service have been made aware of the breach of security. "We have no reason to believe his use of the cracked software affected the products in any negative way," an Assistant US Attorney told The Associated Press

.

While Best was chief scientist for a defense contractor in Kentucky, he purchased $2.3 million worth of software for just over $600,000. During 2008 and 2009, Best exchanged over 260 emails with Chinese distributor Xiang Li, who pled guilty to selling pirated software worth more than $100 million earlier this year. Li's clients also reportedly included a NASA electronics engineer who was found to have purchased $1.2 million worth of pirated software between 2008 and 2010.

Li faces up to 25 years in prison. Best, who could have been sentenced to five years, requested a more lenient sentence in part because of his diagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder, which he claimed compelled him to acquire the software. "Theft is not justified by intellectual curiosity," said Judge Leonard Stark.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/19/4122826/wronald-best-pirated-software-us-military-helicopters

[Nick H. Supervisor]

Best, who could have been sentenced to five years, requested a more lenient sentence in part because of his diagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder, which he claimed compelled him to acquire the software. "Theft is not justified by intellectual curiosity," said Judge Leonard Stark.

But intellectual curiosity can be used for a lighter sentence, it seems. It should be as simple as the following:

Judge: Did you purchase illegal software knowingly?

Best: Yes.

Judge: Here is your sentence of 5 years.

[Growled Member]

They probably stole the designs from us to start with and then they turned around and sold us our own designs.

[n_K]

LOL! I wonder what backdoors the missle have in them </s>

[compl3x]

What, is designing bombs for the military not paying what it used to?

It would have been more fun if the pirated software was used to design ships. But I'll take this.

[Torolol]

theres nothing wrong using pirated software if the user have a digital-age equivalent of the classic Letter or Marque.

Chinese Govt issued such 'letter' to their own military.

[HawkMan]

They probably stole the designs from us to start with and then they turned around and sold us our own designs.

RTA ?