Game Pirate Sentenced To Jail Time

A man charged in a case separate from the much-publicized anti-modder raids last month has been sentenced to ninety days in prison, another nine months of work furlough, and five years of probation. "Police seized over 1,000 pirated game discs during the raid on Brown's home, along with 'numerous' mod chips. Ric Hirsch, Vice-President of Intellectual Property Enforcement at the ESA, said, 'Sentences that include jail time send a clear message that violating intellectual property rights is a serious crime with significant consequences and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.'"

Comments

The people in charge

[Atrox666]

The people doing this don't give a rat's ass what your opinion is.
The only way to make them stop is to insist with all force necessary.
If you're not willing to get your hands dirty to stand up to this scum then no one HAS to care what you think..so why bother shaking your little fist and writing scathing condemnations?

Cut word lines
Cut music lines
Smash the control images
Smash the control machine.
  - William S. Burroughs

No Shit.

[cromar]

I would love to see some RIAA high priests locked up (even for 90 days). Big media has truly done more to hurt us than any pirates.

Re:THANK GOODNESS!

[Anonymous Coward]

Rapists and murderers? C'mon they had to leat those guys out years ago or there never would've been room for the EVIL potheads! We live in a post 911 world! The rules have changes and these poeple are the enemies of America! Money from marijuana sales go to support the 'terrists' it's a fact!

Re:non violent criminals

[Opportunist]

That said, he did break the law when he pirated games

And that is most likely also what the verdict is about. Notice how the modchips are mentioned, but nowhere that it's illegal to have, store, own or sell them?

However, the punishment should fit the crime.

Personally, I'd say that's about achived. He had "over 1000 Pirated Games" and got 90 days. Now, in many legal systems you'll find a system that trades "daily earnings" against a day in jail (provided you cannot pay or refuse to pay). I.e. 90 days jail is comparable to 3 months wages. In other words, the punishment per infringed copyright is (provided you earn, say, 2000 bucks a month) 6 bucks per infringement. Actually, less than 6 bucks, since it wasn't 1000 but "over 1000" copies found.

I'd call that sensible.

Re:Whew

[rtb61]

I can provide a even better target for law enforcement, the treo that do by far the most harm to society, the treo that will take the most lives, the treo that will steal the most from consumers, the treo that will steal the most tax payer dollars, the treo who deservedly belong in prison more than anybody else due to the long term and severe harm of their actions. The corrupt corporate executive, the corrupt lobbyist, and the corrupt politician.

There are thousands of them out there and working together the kill and harm millions, if effort was taken off every other crime and focused on them, with a sincere a genuine effort to prosecute all of them, the benefit to society would be immediately apparent, the savings in terms of not not only money but in lives saved and in the prevention of actual physical harm being caused to people would be enormous.