The owner of iBackups.net, Nathan Peterson of California, was sentenced to 87 months in prison, the longest sentence ever given for software piracy. He also forfeited nearly all of his assets and agreed to pay more than US$5.4 million in restitution. This restitution is eight times the average fine paid by convicted software pirates. He will begin paying the fine off 60 days after his release from prison, at a rate of $200 per month. The average damages resulting from pirated software are around $9 million compared to the $20 million caused by iBackups.
In December, Peterson pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal copyright infringement when the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) called Backups.net "the largest for-profit software piracy site ever shut down by law enforcement." Peterson's site used Google.com text ads to find customers: buyers should be aware of the possibility that software being sold through text ads might be illegal.
Link: BPN Discussion
News source: InfoWorld
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