This is a press release from the Business Software Alliance, a group of large software companies, talking about the No Electronic Theft act. The law was controversial in some circles. It makes nonprofit copyright infringement, as long as you know you're violating the law, a federal crime. This law does cover pirate "warezzzzz" sites. But it also means you'd better not share your collection of Microsoft software -- and let's not even talk about music -- with your parents unless you want to be a federal felon. Background: http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/iclp/hr2265.html http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:e34bad5135a8dd41:www.time.com/time/digital/daily/0,2822,12892,00.html -Declan ----- Forwarded message from Caroline Dietz <Caroline.Dietzat_private> ----- From: Caroline Dietz <Caroline.Dietzat_private> Subject: Software Piracy Conspiracy: First Guilty Verdict Under NET Act Dr aws Praise To: Roni Singleton <Roni.Singletonat_private> Date: Tue, 15 May 2001 16:40:18 -0400 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2653.19) <<...OLE_Obj...>> News Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: May 15, 2001 Debbi Bauman 202/530-5132 debbibat_private First Guilty Verdict Under NET Act Draws Praise Jury Finds Member of "Pirates with Attitudes" Ring Guilty of Software Piracy Conspiracy Washington, D.C. (May 15) - On Friday, May 11, a federal jury in Chicago returned a guilty verdict in the first trial under the No Electronic Theft Act, a 1997 law enacted to combat Internet piracy. The defendant, Christian Morley, 28 years old, of Salem, Massachusetts, was found guilty of conspiracy to infringe software copyrights for his role in the notorious underground group, "Pirates with Attitudes." Thirteen of Morley's co-defendants had already entered guilty pleas. "The Business Software Alliance commends the U.S. Attorney's Office and the FBI for the investigation and prosecution of this conspiracy to pirate software," said Bob Kruger, vice president of enforcement for the Business Software Alliance. "An important component of the overall effort to prevent software theft and promote software copyright compliance is effective law enforcement. We would especially acknowledge the efforts and good work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys James Conway, Lisa Griffin and Special Agent Robert Shields of the FBI." Pirates with Attitudes The original indictment in this matter issued on May 4, 2000, charging 17 individuals from across the United States and Europe with conspiring to infringe the copyright of more than 5,000 computer software programs that were available through a hidden Internet site that was located at a university in Quebec, Canada. The indictment named 12 of the defendants as members of the underground group, "Pirates with Attitudes" (PWA), one of the oldest and most sophisticated networks of software pirates on the Internet. PWA disseminated unauthorized copies of software, including programs that were not yet commercially available. The NET Act The NET Act was enacted in 1997 to facilitate prosecution of Internet copyright piracy. It makes it illegal to reproduce or distribute such copyrighted works as software programs, even if the defendant acts without commercial purpose or for private financial gain. Conspiracy to infringe a copyright carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Restitution is mandatory. According to a recent study *, the U.S. software industry lost nearly $3.2 billion to software piracy in 1999. This loss has a significant impact on the U.S. economy. It is estimated that software piracy cost the U.S. economy more than 106,000 jobs, $5 billion in lost wages and more than $550 million in state sales tax collections. * "1999 Global Software Piracy Report" conducted by the International Planning and Research Corp." The Business Software Alliance (BSA) is the voice of the world's software and Internet industry before governments and with consumers in the international marketplace. Its members represent the fastest growing industry in the world. BSA educates computer users on software copyright; advocates public policy that fosters innovation and expands trade opportunities; and fights software piracy. BSA worldwide members include Adobe, Apple, Autodesk, Bentley Systems, CNC Software/Mastercam, Macromedia, Microsoft, Symantec and UGS. BSA website: www.bsa.org. # # # ----- End forwarded message ----- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if it remains intact. To subscribe, visit http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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