UK pirate gets record jail sentence

A UK court handed down the toughest sentence yet for software piracy yesterday when it sentenced a counterfeiter to three and a half years in prison. The Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association, which represents UK game publishers, championed the decision, saying it shows that the courts are now recognizing games piracy as a serious offense and are issuing suitable sentences.

The offender pleaded guilty to 30 counts of copyright offense for games, films, and business software. An 18-month operation directed by ELSPA, Torfaen Trading Standards, the British Phonographic Institute, and local police ended with a sting on his operation, turning up more than a quarter of a million pounds' ($460,000) worth of merchandise. The list of counterfeited games, music, film, and business software available for purchase ran over 1,200 pages.

Said Roger Bennett, director of ELSPA, "It is gratifying to see the courts are now taking piracy seriously and enforcing suitably severe sentences. Piracy is a criminal offense, and as this case demonstrates, anyone involved in the illegal practice of counterfeiting could face not just a fine but the very real possibility of substantial jail time."

ELSPA has a dedicated antipiracy unit that works with private investigators and local police across the UK to fight computer games piracy.