AfterDawn: News

Jailtime coming for two software pirates

Yesterday, two brothers accused of software piracy were sentenced to multi-year prison sentences, said the US Department of Justice.

Maurice Robberson and his brother Thomas Robberson were sentenced to 36 and 30 month sentences respectively and ordered to pay $1 million USD in restitution. In November both men plead guilty to felony copyright infringement.



Both men sold counterfeit software through their websites Bestvalueshoppe.com, TheDealDepot.net, CDsalesUSA.com, and AmericanSoftwareSales.com. Both men agreed to pay back all revenue made by the sites which equaled the $1 million USD restitution.

"People who steal the intellectual property of others for their personal financial gain, while defrauding consumers who think they are buying legitimate products, will be punished for their crimes, as today's sentences prove," said Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher.

Both men received complaints from software copyright holders but denied wrong doing. Undercover FBI agents then purchased items from one of their sites and found a network of other sites selling pirated software.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 8 Mar 2008 16:58

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• 16 comments

• xSModder

  haha well they got what they deserved. i don't like people like that that give us good pirates a bad image ;)

  8.3.2008 17:07 #1

• 7thsinger

  Turns out it was XP they were selling back to people who "upgraded" to Vista. ;-)

  8.3.2008 17:13 #2

• corn

  Hmm. Lets just hope MS doesn't file lawsuits against those who bought XP just looking for a bargain..

  8.3.2008 18:04 #3

• jony218

  hopefully they end up at a "clubfed" where martha did her time. No need to waste taxpayer money on nonviolent offenders. But they did the crime they must do the time. But 3 years does seem a little steep.

  8.3.2008 22:12 #4

• Amir89

  Quote:Turns out it was XP they were selling back to people who "upgraded" to Vista. ;-)Lol... they were doing them a favor there though, that should count towards some community service or something.

  9.3.2008 06:37 #5

• tripplite

  thats why you dont do stupid stuff like that...just stupid!

  9.3.2008 11:14 #6

• badkrma

  it's one thing to share but another to make profit...money, money, money... if you dare take from those established to make the money then be prepared to defend yourself to the death... :)

  9.3.2008 13:18 #7

• iluvendo

  Originally posted by xSModder: haha well they got what they deserved. i don't like people like that that give us Quote:good pirates a bad image ;)
  Is that an oxymoron?

  9.3.2008 14:01 #8

• WierdName

  Originally posted by iluvendo: Is that an oxymoron?Lol, quite possibly... It depends on how you look at it.

  9.3.2008 23:47 #9

• varnull

  I'm a good pirate.. I only steal from the rich fat and greedy and give.. yeah.. GIVE to the poor.
  

  
  
  Free open source software = made by end users who want an application to work....

  9.3.2008 23:53 #10

• ZoSoIV

  Originally posted by varnull: I'm a good pirate.. I only steal from the rich fat and greedy and give.. yeah.. GIVE to the poor.now i like that statement lol ^^^
  

  
  

  10.3.2008 03:54 #11

• emugamer

  Originally posted by varnull: I'm a good pirate.. I only steal from the rich fat and greedy and give.. yeah.. GIVE to the poor.A Robin Hood of sorts :P

  10.3.2008 15:29 #12

• Icanbe

  Quote:Quote:Turns out it was XP they were selling back to people who "upgraded" to Vista. ;-)Lol... they were doing them a favor there though, that should count towards some community service or something.Agreed.
  Good one Amir89.

  10.3.2008 16:56 #13

• goodswipe

  I say there should just be an 'ol fashion hangen! Save the taxpayers money!
  
  
  
  
  
  Or we could make them walk the plank?
  
  
  
  
  
  Live by the sword....die by the sword...

  10.3.2008 17:27 #14

• blivetNC

  Quote:Turns out it was XP they were selling back to people who "upgraded" to Vista. ;-)
  That should count for community service time in my opinion.

  10.3.2008 17:27 #15

• papola

  Or isolated showering time away from the..... well you know :)

  12.3.2008 02:08 #16