Ads by TechWords

See your link here
Receive the latest technology news and information.
Computerworld Daily News (First Look and Wrap-Up)
Computerworld Blogs Newsletter
The Weekly Top 10
Cloud Computing
View all newsletters




Privacy Policy
 

Va. man pleads guilty to selling $1M worth of counterfeit software

Gregory William Fair sold Adobe software on eBay

April 17, 2009 12:00 PM ET

Active Comments
Chuck says: Run a few copies of $20's on your color printer. Hey, nothing's been stolen, it's a victimless crime...... Adobe worked...
Anonymous says: Yes it is true. But lets be real, the guy selling the software was either stupid or greedy or both!...


IDG News Service - A Virginia man has pleaded guilty to charges related to selling counterfeit software with a retail value of about $1 million on eBay, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

Gregory William Fair, 46, of Falls Church, Va., pleaded guilty on Thursday to one count of criminal copyright infringement and one count of mail fraud in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Between 2001 and February 2008, Fair sold a "large volume" of counterfeit Adobe Systems software on eBay using multiple user IDs, the DOJ said in a news release. Fair has agreed to forfeit the proceeds of the software sales, including $144,000 seized from a safety deposit box and residence; one BMW 525i; one Hummer H2; one Mercedes CL600; and one 1969 Pontiac GTO, the agency said.

Fair is scheduled to be sentenced on July 8. He faces up to five years in prison on the criminal copyright infringement count and up to 20 years in prison on the mail fraud count. He also faces a maximum fine of $250,000 on each charge.

The case is part of an ongoing initiative at the DOJ to combat online auction piracy. Including the Fair plea announced, the DOJ has obtained 34 convictions involving online auction and commercial distribution of counterfeit software.


Reprinted with permission from

IDG.net
Story copyright 2009 International Data Group. All rights reserved.

Jump to comments

Gregory William Fair

Additional Resources

Microsoft
Here are some of the key reasons why you would want to run Unified Access Gateway with DirectAccess.
Microsoft
Review how one energy firm tightened protection and simplified IT work using business-ready security solutions.
Sybase
In this white paper, IDC analyzes the role of next-generation mobile enterprise platforms as organizations seek a more strategic deployment of mobile solutions.

Learn the important issues you must consider before starting your next mobility initiative. Get your mobility white paper from IDC now, compliments of Sybase.

What People Are Saying

White Papers & Webcasts

The Workday User Experience Video
Watch Workday's Creative Director, Scott Lietzke, discuss the business-centered design philosophy at Workday.

Business Process Framework Demo
Learn about Configurable Business Processes and Calculated Fields. Watch Now!

Manager Experience Demo
Go beyond self-service solutions to perform more effectively. Watch Now.


IT Jobs