US Court Gives 15 Months' Jail, $415,900 Fine For Game Piracy 525
An anonymous reader writes "A Florida man has been sentenced to 15 months in prison and ordered to pay US$415,900 in restitution for selling video game systems that were preloaded with more than 75 pirated copies of games." If that fine sounds a bit steep, note that his profits on the devices "exceeded $390,000."
Ouch. (Score:1, Funny)
"Conjugal visits? Mmmm. Not that I know of. Y'know, minimum-security prison is no picnic. I have a client in there right now. He says the trick is: kick someone's ass the first day, or become someone's bitch. Then everything will be all right. W-Why do you ask, anyway?"
Re:jail != prison (Score:5, Funny)
Seriously, fine the man, put him on probation with a suspended sentence before sending him to prison for an utterly victimless crime.
Excuse me, sir, but this wasn't a "victimless crime". I was credited for Additional Audio Programming on NES Slalom, and the $0.0000015 I have been denied from this man's activities puts an immeasurable strain on my personal finances. Have you noticed the economy we're in?
Re:Fair cop... (Score:3, Funny)
What always makes me wonder about these crimes... what did he think was going to happen? I guess this sentence is good if it stops other, completely clueless, individuals from doing this same thing.
He probably spent too much time posting on Slashdot, arguing about how IP should be nobody's property, got modded +5 Insightful so many times that he thought he could use the same arguments in a court room.
I'd like to think that, anyway :)
Re:I'm okay with this. (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Term? (Score:5, Funny)
I think you got the words, but you missed the tone.
Re:A Decent Application of Copyright laws. (Score:5, Funny)
You assume wrong smart arse.
Re:I'm okay with this. (Score:1, Funny)
The only way that you can be selling your personal possessions for 100% profit is if you stole them.
I have a delightful, hand-crafted, knitted beige jumper with a green pattern on the front resembling a small shrub.
I have been trying to sell this item (that I didn't create) since December 25th. I can assure you, I didn't, wouldn't and couldn't bring myself to steal it.
Re:Term? (Score:4, Funny)
Indeed, who would pay for an aggregation of otherwise free software?
You never heard of Linux? [google.com]
Re:Term? (Score:3, Funny)
As a person, I love the idea.
As a future accountant, I fucking hate it. Make extra work for me, why don't you.
Re:For artworks, a copyright can be held for 70 ye (Score:2, Funny)
Yes. Europeans don't have constitutions. All they have are bitter losers without day jobs or reading comprehension.
Re:The middleman problem (Score:3, Funny)
Yes! Why do you have to write something so insightful when I'm out of mod points?