First Guilty Verdict Under Net Act Draws Praise From Business Software Alliance; Jury Finds Member of 'Pirates With Attitudes' Ring Guilty of Software Piracy Conspiracy.Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 15, 2001 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 Salem, Massachusetts locale of frenzied assault on supposed witches (1692). [Am. Hist.: Jameson, 442; Am. Lit.: The Crucible] See : Witchcraft , 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 This article is about the soldier. For the mime, see Shields and Yarnell. Robert Shields VC (1827 – 23 December 1864) was a Welsh recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be 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 United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. 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 PWA abbr. 1. person with AIDS 2. Public Works Administration ), 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 according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a recent study(1), the U.S. software industry lost nearly $3.2 billion to software piracy The illegal copying of software for distribution within the organization, or to friends, clubs and other groups, or for duplication and resale. The software industry loses billions of dollars each year to piracy, and although it may seem innocent enough to install an application on a 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 sales tax, levy on the sale of goods or services, generally calculated as a percentage of the selling price, and sometimes called a purchase tax. It is usually collected in the form of an extra charge by the retailer, who remits the tax to the government. collections. (1) "1999 Global Software Piracy Report" conducted by the International Planning and Research Corp." The Business Software Alliance (BSA 1. BSA - Business Software Alliance. 2. BSA - Bidouilleurs Sans Argent. ) 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 UGS In currencies, this is the abbreviation for the Uganda Shilling. Notes: The currency market, also known as the Foreign Exchange market, is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average volume of over US $1 trillion. . BSA website: www.bsa.org. |
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