Software Pirate Sentenced to Pay $210K Fine for Illegal Auction Sales

A Delaware native was sentenced by a Northern California District Court to pay more than $210, 000 worth of penalty for illegally selling and auctioning unlicensed and pirated copies of Autodesk, Adobe, and Microsoft Office software in the Internet.

In a decision handed by Northern California District Court Judge Susan Illston, Matthew Miller, a resident of Newark, Delaware, was found guilty of selling pirated copies of software in a website called iOffer.

Based on court documents, Miller allegedly confessed to the crime, saying that he has downloaded several copyrighted materials into CDs before selling it to prospective buyers at a fraction of the price of original software.

The documents also showed that Miller usually sell the pirate copies at around $8 to $12.

Miller was arrested after a buy-bust operation conducted by the authorities with the help of the anti-piracy group Business Software Alliance (BSA).

The suspect reportedly sold $52 software to an undercover agent then later slashing the price to $12 after a fake haggling by the agent.

The transaction between Miller and the agent was conducted online through iOffer, which is an online marketplace where buyers can bid and buy anything that is offered.

The website has been subjected to criticisms several times even before Miller’s case. BSA said that iOffer is facing several law suits for allegedly violating anti-piracy and copyright infringement laws.

But iOffer argued that they strictly enforce to users the anti-piracy rules, saying that they automatically take down lists of items that was believed to be infringed.

Meanwhile, BSA said that Miller’s case was a landmark for them, saying that due to too much on the part of the suspect, they were forced to take action and sue him.

BSA Legal Affairs Head Jenny Blank said that Miller will serve as an example to people about the risks and consequences of using or even buying illegal software.

She added that the case will also reeducate the public in the use of authentic software.

In a separate case handled by the group, a UK manufacturing firm has agreed to settle a copyright infringement case. The parties agreed to pay undisclosed amount for using $87, 000 worth of pirated materials.