Illinois Pirated-Game Seller Jailed and Fined

Two years and a $1,200 fine were meted out to an Illinois man who openly advertised and sold copyrighted entertainment material illegally on his website.

The operator of Morbidbackups.net, a website advertising hundreds of videogames, DVDs and television shows obtained illegally, was sentenced to two years in prison and a $1,200 fine yesterday.

The 35-year-old Illinois man, named Timothy Hall, pleaded guilty to one count of criminal copyright infringement.

Over a period of five years, Hall received over $266,000 in proceeds from his illegal sales, according to his own testimony.

He was caught in May 2006 when an FBI agent posing as a regular customer placed an order for dozens of Xbox games and episodes of the television series 24, and received them in unmarked discs.

Source: PC World