KVR Audio

Squids · Post by **Squids** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 7:28 pm

Edit: When I first posted this, I thought this was a guy who sold or bought 6 items illegally and was sent to jail for 3 years for it. Surprised me, so I posted about it. We later found out the details (in a link in this thread) that the guy was a major software pirate selling tons of it illegally. I suppose it is still interesting to hear about what happens to a guy like that. But, not quite as surprising or interesting as far as I am concerned. I probably wouldn't have bothered posting about it had I known that. But, no harm in knowing about it anyway though.

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I don't normally like to spend my time even thinking about this stuff but something came across my desk that I thought you'd find interesting. We've talked on here about what sort of punishment (if any) there is for illegal selling and "bootleging" of software or "soundware" (a term for predominantly sample content based software packages). Well, the US Department of Justice takes it very seriously. I don't know if they are stepping things up or if this is just what happens when this kind of activity crosses their path but if you're interested, check this out. These are public documents. In USAO Case 2004R01721 a guy is being put in jail for 37 months for buying or selling just 6 pieces of software/soundware! (I am not sure if he was buying or selling it... although there is another related case where I believe someone was in the practice of on-going illegal sales and their sentence may possibly be quite a bit longer).

Anyway, I just thought that some of you might like to know since people have asked me before and I really didn't have a particular case I could bring up offhand (not like I spend my time looking either but this was just right in front of me). In this case, I know about this because he apparently owes us for just one of the 6 products! Wow. Three hundy! For three hundred bucks (times 6 I guess) this dude is going to jail for 3 years???? Yikes! Woops!!!!!! Not worth it eh? Just so you know, WE didn't go after the guy. I didn't even know about it! But, the department of justice found out or the FBI or however he got caught and there are some severe consequences.

Hey, I like to be more of the hippy type philosophy and ask people to just respect the rules and be cool. But, just so you know, you can break federal or international laws even with just one illegal software sale and potentially be in some serious trouble! So, you know, be careful is all. I am sure some of you live in countries where the laws may be different but I wouldn't test it. Be smart.

I posted this in the marketplace forum because I know there is a lot of selling of software and soundware here. Be careful. I would especially be careful not to buy a COPY (technically a bootleg) of any software or sounds.

Sorry I don't know more specific details of what this person did. You can probably find out more I am sure if you are interested (I know some of you guys eat this stuff up). My only thought on it is just be mindful of what you're doing.

Cheers.

spaceman · Post by **spaceman** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 7:35 pm

it's almost better to rape someone.. you get less time in jail for that

emdot_ambient · Post by **emdot_ambient** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 7:39 pm

http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/cybercrime/docs.html
Bunch more where that comes from but it looks like an on-going thing.

Squids · Post by **Squids** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 7:40 pm

Here's more information about this kind of stuff in general: www.imsta.org

Better to rape someone spaceman? Scary m8.

Lord Snarebottom · Post by **Lord Snarebottom** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 7:41 pm

spaceman wrote:it's almost better to rape someone.. you get less time in jail for that

Yeah, but you still get to be Bubba's buttwife.

Squids · Post by **Squids** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 7:46 pm

emdot_ambient wrote:http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/cybercrime/docs.html
Bunch more where that comes from but it looks like an on-going thing.

Interesting! Yeah, like I said, I don't really spend my time thinking about this kind of stuff. One of my friends actually works for the FBI and I rarely ask him about these things. Now I am a bit more curious. Although, one can spend their time thinking of more positive things.

nuffink · Post by **nuffink** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 7:52 pm

So what's your view on 3+ years for petty theft Squids?
You posted it so I guess you've got one.
Too lenient? Are you from the lop off a hand school?
Or, in the light of Enron etc, is it just a case that they couldn't afford a decent lawyer?

agincourtdb · Post by **agincourtdb** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 7:52 pm

spaceman wrote:it's almost better to rape someone.. you get less time in jail for that

Agreed, and that's a sad commentary on the inadequacy of the punishment for rape.

topaz · Post by **topaz** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 7:59 pm

was the judge a crack whore ?

Squids · Post by **Squids** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 8:06 pm

nuffink wrote:So what's your view on 3+ years for petty theft Squids?
You posted it so I guess you've got one.
Too lenient? Are you from the lop off a hand school?
Or, in the light of Enron etc, is it just a case that they couldn't afford a decent lawyer?

The more casual petty theft guy who may possibly not even know better (such as a once in a while ebay seller/buyer) is one thing but if someone repeatedly sells bootleg copies I think they should be punished severely.

I don't know enough details of this case to judge whether I think it was too lenient or not.

ResonantOrder · Post by **ResonantOrder** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 8:14 pm

In the US alone, 45 million people go to bed at night without enough to eat because of US government policies. At the start of the new semester this year, because of government cutbacks, 285,000 families will be dropped from the free breakfast/lunch program in public schools.

With everything else going on in this country and rest of the world, who really gives a f**k about piracy?

Putting a guy in jail for buying bootleg software, if he was in Texas, would cost the state and federal government 80,000.00 a year.

It doesn't make sense, and if you support it, you don't make sense.

agincourtdb · Post by **agincourtdb** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 8:16 pm

nuffink wrote:So what's your view on 3+ years for petty theft Squids?
You posted it so I guess you've got one.
Too lenient? Are you from the lop off a hand school?
Or, in the light of Enron etc, is it just a case that they couldn't afford a decent lawyer?

$300x6=$1,800... which is not petty theft, i think. Many of these cases involve millions of dollars in for-profit piracy transactions. What's your view of that? I'm betting you've got one....

agincourtdb · Post by **agincourtdb** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 8:20 pm

ResonantOrder wrote:In the US alone, 45 million people go to bed at night without enough to eat because of US government policies. At the start of the new semester this year, because of government cutbacks, 285,000 families will be dropped from the free breakfast/lunch program in public schools.

With everything else going on in this country and rest of the world, who really gives a f**k about piracy?

Putting a guy in jail for buying bootleg software, if he was in Texas, would cost the state and federal government 80,000.00 a year.

It doesn't make sense, and if you support it, you don't make sense.

So there's hunger in the world so it's ok for people to pirate software.... and we make no sense??? Has it occurred to you that crime is one of the big reasons things are so f'ed up? That money given to software pirates, instead of going into the economy where it would do some good for the people you're worried about, goes overseas and likely doesn't come back. How much do you think software piracy costs the government in taxes that could go to the very people you want helped?

nuffink · Post by **nuffink** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 8:21 pm

agincourtdb wrote:$300x6=$1,800... which is not petty theft, i think. Many of these cases involve millions of dollars in for-profit piracy transactions. What's your view of that? I'm betting you've got one....

Yeah, It's my view that idiots who end their posts with

smilies are probably best ignored.

agincourtdb · Post by **agincourtdb** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 8:22 pm

Yeah, It's my view that idiots who end their posts with smilies are probably best ignored.

that's a penetrating response to my point.

A case, a lion, a witch and IKWIL in your wardrobe