Slashdot Mirror
Pirate Music Site's Owner Sentenced to Five Years in Prison (torrentfreak.com)
An anonymous reader shares an update on Artur Sargsyan, who owned the music-pirating site Sharebeast as well as Newjams and Albumjams. TorrentFreak reports:
Thursday a U.S. District Judge sentenced the 30-year-old to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and more than $642,000 in restitution and forfeiture...
The RIAA claimed that ShareBeast was the largest illegal file-sharing site operating in the United States... "Millions of users accessed songs from ShareBeast each month without one penny of compensation going to countless artists, songwriters, labels and others who created the music," RIAA Chairman & CEO Cary Sherman commented at the time...
If Sargsyan had responded to takedown notices more positively, it's possible that things may have progressed in a different direction. The RIAA sent the site more than 100 copyright-infringement emails over a three-year period but to no effect. This led the music industry group to get out its calculator and inform the Deparmtment of Justice that the total monetary loss to its member companies was "a conservative" $6.3 billion "gut-punch" to music creators who were paid nothing by the service... "His reproduction of copyrighted musical works were made available only to generate undeserved profits for himself," said U.S. Attorney Byung J. "BJay" Pak. "The incredible work done by our law enforcement partners and prosecutors in light of the complexity of Sargsyan's operation demonstrates that we will employ all of our resources to stop this kind of theft."
David J. LaValley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, said "His sentence sends a message that no matter how complex the operation, the FBI, its federal partners and law enforcement partners around the globe will go to every length to protect the property of hard working artists and the companies that produce their art."
Today if you visit ShareBeast.com or AlbumJams.com, they display an "FBI anti-piracy warning" image notifying visitors the domain has been seized, adding "Willful copyright infringement is a federal crime that carries penalties for first time offenders of up to five years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, forfeiture and restitution." The image is surrounded by a red border with the word "seized" written over and over again.
If Sargsyan had responded to takedown notices more positively, it's possible that things may have progressed in a different direction. The RIAA sent the site more than 100 copyright-infringement emails over a three-year period but to no effect. This led the music industry group to get out its calculator and inform the Deparmtment of Justice that the total monetary loss to its member companies was "a conservative" $6.3 billion "gut-punch" to music creators who were paid nothing by the service... "His reproduction of copyrighted musical works were made available only to generate undeserved profits for himself," said U.S. Attorney Byung J. "BJay" Pak. "The incredible work done by our law enforcement partners and prosecutors in light of the complexity of Sargsyan's operation demonstrates that we will employ all of our resources to stop this kind of theft."
David J. LaValley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, said "His sentence sends a message that no matter how complex the operation, the FBI, its federal partners and law enforcement partners around the globe will go to every length to protect the property of hard working artists and the companies that produce their art."
Today if you visit ShareBeast.com or AlbumJams.com, they display an "FBI anti-piracy warning" image notifying visitors the domain has been seized, adding "Willful copyright infringement is a federal crime that carries penalties for first time offenders of up to five years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, forfeiture and restitution." The image is surrounded by a red border with the word "seized" written over and over again.
LOL!!!
Somebody call the grammar police!
#DeleteFacebook
Once again showing who REALLY runs the country. A collections of very large corporations, rotating on a daily basis depending on who has some $ to throw around. This is just the government paying its bills.
Also, 5 years in prison for running a music piracy site? While Youtube, which is littered with piracy left/right operates freely, and nobody ever would even THINK of prosecuting, much less jail time?
The FBI getting involved in something as benign as copyright violation is absurd. Meanwhile real criminals who rob people of actual money roam about freely on the internet, stealing identity, money, etc. Real, actual harm rather than "potential lost revenue, and free advertising" that piracy provides.
Can't be bothered to find a Psychopath In Florida that posted his intentions to Social Media USING HIS REAL NAME!
But RIAA Copyright infringement? YES SIR! WE WILL ARREST HIM NOW SIR!
According to the RIAA, in 2016 the $7.65 billion in revenue in total. I am a bit skeptical that this non-millionare impacted the music industry... at all. But the music industry (though not usually the artists who get basically nothing from their deals 90% of the time) is corrupt and stupid and we already knew that.
I'm not saying the guy doesn't deserve some punishment, and I'm guessing based on the numbers in the article he was appropriately fined by the courts despite the RIAA's utter insanity, though a 5 year prison sentence seems a bit much.
Ignoring 100 take down notices doesn't seem like a good idea.
I'm picturing... concertinas.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
I know right? Trump is going to die in prison, ahahhaaaaaa!
corporations own our culture and the only way to get it back is ... ... pay them what they demand
i.e. business as usual, from the perspective of the artists & songwriters and others who created the music.
Don't download this song!
To a handful of bankers that *really* managed to cause billions of dollars of damage by crashing the entire American economy back in 2007/2008- days they spent in jail: 0.
I would say that his sentence would be appealable on that fact alone under the fourteenth amendment. However, since his assists are probably entirely gone, It's probably doubtful that he could mount a meaningful appeal.
Take the cheese to sickbay, the doctor should see it as soon as possible - B'Elanna Torres, "Learning Curve"
This is a pretty cool story, especially the part about the FBI seizing the website and displaying a warning to copyright infringers.
The swamp is in the process of being drained. Think that this verdict is unfair? Show up to vote this year. You're voting against a Hollywood that touts gun control, but yet shows up to the Oscars with personal security guards armed to the hilt.
It's way too small. I calculate it is as nearly $1Q (quadrillion)
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
community.
Convince some up and coming lawyer to take the case pro-bono to make a name for theirself/selves, and get some social media attention on it (obviously mainstream media attention won't happen, but who cares nowadays.)
I don't know about everyone else, but I feel like purchasing some CD's!
So, we're back to classic late 90's-style Napster math are we? With the logical fallacy that if the person downloaded it, they would have bought it had they not been able to obtain it illegally.
You, sir, are wise and a leader of the young.
newsjam.com seems to remain online.
Today if you visit ShareBeast.com or AlbumJams.com, they display an "FBI anti-piracy warning" image notifying visitors the domain has been seized, adding "Willful copyright infringement is a federal crime that carries penalties for first time offenders of up to five years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, forfeiture and restitution."
Yea, but I want to download some tunes. Thinking maybe NWA "fuck da police". Got that?
The Russians have won. They have made the world a cesspool of distrust, greed, fear and hate.
and demand candidates that don't accept corporate money, like these folks. Right now almost all the candidates are cherry picked by billionaires (google the "Sheldon Primary"). You need to show up at the real primary and punish incumbents.
No more Marc Rubios, who likes to say anyone can 'buy into' him. I don't care that anyone can buy him. I don't want _anyone_ buying my representatives.
Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
I shared some Justin Beeber songs. You?
So much for "Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."
Attention future jury members! Jury nullification is a mechanism created specifically for this type of shit...
Jury nullification occurs when a jury returns a verdict of "Not Guilty" despite its belief that the defendant is guilty of the violation charged. The jury in effect nullifies a law that it believes is either immoral or wrongly applied to the defendant whose fate they are charged with deciding.
If he didn't like it he could have killed his enemies.
That is what men used to do. They would not allow themselves to be captured.
They also used to marry little girls.
They were free. Not like you scum now.
protect the property of hard working artists
LOL! Yeah, artists, sure, not middleman and corporation's revenue.
I might consider buying music then. Not before.
I'm not a proponent of music copyright infringement, but 5 years is insanely long for such a mundane "crime". My small protest response is not to buy the music of any RIAA artist for a few years. I will survive. (Cue Gloria Gaynor... well, the version from Priscilla Queen of the Desert ... love the Indigenous Australians' accompaniment).
Anyway, I suggest you all join me.
Surprised they didn't claim at least $12,586,000,000,000.00 lost. Why? 100 copies of CDs sold at $17.98 times ~7 billion people, all of whom surely would have purchased at least one copy of each were it not for file sharing. /s
The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
When are we going to get an Internet for ourselves???? I don't want to share the entire Internet with the police.