PureBasic Forums - English

AN ALLEGED leader of an online software piracy group known as Razor1911 has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for conspiracy to violate copyright laws.

The US Justice Department said in a statement that Shane Pitman, 31, North Carolina, was sentenced by US federal Judge James Cacheris in Alexandria, Virginia.

Pitman, known by his screen nickname "Pitbull," was a leader of the underground internet piracy community or "warez scene" and was accused of piracy of computer and console game software.

"The group prided itself on cracking and illegally distributing the most popular software games, usually before their public release date, including such games as Quake, Red Alert, Terminal Velocity, and Warcraft II and III," the Justice Department said.

"Shane Pitman's conviction and sentence should send a strong message to organised internet gangs like Razor1911 that stealing and illegally distributing game software online is not a game," said US Attorney Paul McNulty.

finally someone does something about them, way to go James Cacheris!!

I find that rather sad. I don't aprove of warez but this is just sad....

Same here. Why don't they use them for something good? What's interesting about having those people in jail? They'll get a graduate in Thieft and do worst when they come out. Putting those people in jail is just stupid.

> Putting those people in jail is just stupid

Do the crime, do the time. Simple as that.

El_Choni wrote: people in jail? They'll get a graduate in Thieft and do worst when they come out. Putting those people in jail is just stupid.

Im not sad at all :roll:

This same question about learning bad stuff goes with every people in jail, this guy break the law (and its not an accident!!) then authorities must act.

If you "use them for something good" then you set the precedent that commiting these types of crimes is a good thing - ie. it will get you a job as a internet security consultant or copyright protection scheme consultant.

Bottom line - if what you are doing is illegal, you serve the sentence appropriate for your crime. While I think some software companies charge outrageous amounts for their apps - they still have every right to and we, as consumers, have the right not to buy. We do not have the right to steal it...

I firmly believe that the various countries judicial systems need to make every effort to show that "victimless" crimes like this - are still crimes and deserving of criminal prosecution.

While I agree warez and piracy is painful (especially to the little people like Fred here and Mark over at BlitzBasic) but I don't think that this is going to do a thing about software piracy. The same attitude certainly hasn't done anything with our drug problem except fill the prisons up.

Then again, we *do* have to punish those that break the law. The burden of proof in cases like this is insane - I'd love to know just how they proved all of the charges.

Ahh well, one of these days we'll figure out how to make crime not pay. It pays very very very well as it is (and probably always will).