An American software pirate has been jailed for 18 months after running a website offering illegal copies of a range of business software. Kishan Singh, from Lanham in Maryland, had earlier pleaded guilty to a charge of copyright infringement. The pirated software was valued at up to $120,000, prosecutors revealed.
Singh, 33, had operated a pay-for-access site offering software from companies including Adobe, Autodesk, Macromedia and Microsoft with copy-protection removed. He was sentenced by Judge TS Ellis in Alexandria, Virginia. A spokesman for the US prosecutor"s office said: "Evidence revealed that thousands of pirated software programs were downloaded from Singh"s website by users from around the world during the six-month period charged."
The judge also ordered Singh forfeit the computer equipment which had been used in the crime. As part of a plea agreement, the United States and Singh agreed he illegally reproduced and distributed copyrighted software valued at between $70,000 and $120,000.