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Man Gets 6 Years for Software Piracy

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the pirate-gets-his-due dept.

smooth wombat writes "In what prosecutors are calling 'the ultimate case', a Florida man has been sentenced to six years in prison for selling illegal copies of computer programs. From the article: 'Danny Ferrer, of Lakeland, Fla., pleaded guilty in June to conspiracy and copyright infringement charges after an FBI investigation of his Web site, BuysUSA.com. Ferrer also was ordered to pay more than $4.1 million in restitution to software makers Adobe Systems Inc., Autodesk, and Macromedia Inc.' The judge ordered that items he bought with the money, including airplanes, a Lamborghini and other cars, be sold off to pay for the restitution."

16 of 321 comments (clear)

  1. easy way out by JackBuckley · · Score: 5, Funny

    He should've just wiped his hard drive, and presto! no evidence. Oh, wait...

    1. Re:easy way out by whois_drek · · Score: 5, Funny

      You know, I'm going to invent a formula for getting modded higher. It'll be something along the lines of:

      1. Read popular story
      2. Read new story
      3. Make some humorously ironic comment on the current story based on newly-gained group knowledge from previous story.
      4. Add optional Soviet Russia joke, Overlord welcome, or "Oh, wait..." sentence fragment at end.
      5. Profit!!!

      So that formula is my invention. Please sign the following NDA with prior-invention clause below...

    2. Re:easy way out by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      1. Read popular story
      2. Read new story
      3. Read humorously ironic comment on the current story based on newly-gained group knowledge from previous story with added optional Soviet Russia joke, Overlord welcome, or "Oh, wait..." sentence fragment at end.
      4. Respond with underpant gnomes formula list with optional "???" step.
      5. ???
      6. Profit!!!

      Patent infringed! You'll never catch me! I'm anonymous! HAHAH!

    3. Re:easy way out by Harker · · Score: 4, Funny
      1. Read popular story
      2. Read new story
      3. Make some humorously ironic comment on the current story based on newly-gained group knowledge from previous story.
      4. Add optional Soviet Russia joke, Overlord welcome, or "Oh, wait..." sentence fragment at end.
      5. Profit!!!


      You left a step out, if you plan to profit.

      5. Patent the idea
      6. Sue anybody who tries to use it.
      7. Profit!!!

      H.
      --
      When VCR's are outlawed, only outlaws will have VCR's.
  2. The worst part of his dastardly deed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    He was charging suckers for this pirate software and not even providing the courtesy of an nfo.

    Good riddance.

  3. Re:Wow... by 955301 · · Score: 3, Funny


    I don't know, seeing a fat balding italian guy in a Lamborghini hurts my eyes...

    --
    You are checking your backups, aren't you?
  4. Re:Good! by grammar+fascist · · Score: 4, Funny

    I especially don't feel sorry for him if he's the type that sends out those !!!DISCOUNT SOFFTWARE!!! spams. Those alone ought to be worth a couple of years.

    --
    I got my Linux laptop at System76.
  5. Now there's one business model... by MarkusQ · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now there's one business model that certainly could have benefited from picking FOSS.

    Hey, here's an idea: maybe we should push this as counter-FUD:

    Man sentenced to six years for picking proprietary software
    Intrinsic risks of "poison pill" licenses overlooked by many

    It's just a thought.

    --MarkusQ

  6. Re:Wow... by rolfwind · · Score: 4, Funny

    The damage must be severe, that's a Hummer, not a Lamborghini!

  7. Re:archve.org link by mreynozo · · Score: 2, Funny

    Have you seen the site AFTER it was taken over by the FBI? Looks like they could use a web designer or two. *shudder*

  8. Re:Good by TheOldSchooler · · Score: 2, Funny

    Ohhhh, this website. Yeah I'm familar with it. This is were my company ordered all of our copies of Microsoft Office, Windows XP Pro and 2003 Server for our 15 worldwide offices with over 150,000 workstations. Is this a problem?

  9. Re:Wow... by lixee · · Score: 4, Funny

    Correction: Rich analy-raped man!

    --
    Res publica non dominetur
  10. Re:archve.org link by Mattintosh · · Score: 2, Funny

    Things I thought of when I clicked that link:
    - "Oh god it burns!" (red background = bad)
    - "'This site permanently shut down' - yeah right. I wonder how much the domain will go for at auction..."
    - "Please, please, please don't be goatse..."
    - "Why is there a Sun logo in the favicon?"

  11. Won't affect "buy cheap software" spam by billstewart · · Score: 2, Funny
    I don't know if this scammer was also a spammer, or if he relied on legitimate advertising, but he was shut down in October 2005, so apparently he's not the one I'm getting most of my software-sales spam from. (Maybe they can go bust that guy....)

    ...

    (See, there are other ways to karma-whore besides making standard jokes about in Soviet Russia, our new %s overlords ..Profit! from You :-)

    --

    Bill Stewart
    New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
  12. Re:Good! by megaditto · · Score: 2, Funny
    The world is NOT a whorehouse, megaditto.
    In that case must have gotten lost at some point.

    You need a place to say, hon?
    --
    Obama likes poor people so much, he wants to make more of them.
  13. Re:I beg your pardon.. by kahrytan · · Score: 3, Funny


    He should have bought gold and burried it in his parent's backyard. And lived in a shanty apt.

    --
    \