Piracy doesn't pay, especially not for those who get caught. About two years ago, there was a huge piracy bust involving two man in California who were pirating tons of media, including music, software and movies. Now, after all this time, those two men have been sentenced, and they certainly didn't get a slap on the wrist.
For their part in pushing the replicated goods, they will both be receiving 37 months in prison and severe fines. One of them will be responsible for a $125,000, whereas the other faces a steep $6.9 million:
Ye Teng Wen, also known as Michael Wen, 31, and Hao He, who is sometimes called Kevin He, 32, both of Union City, Calif., were each sentenced to 37 months in federal prison, three years of supervised release, a $125,000 fine, and a $500 mandatory special assessment. On June 4, a third conspirator, Yaobin Zhai, also known as Ben Zhai, 34, of Fremont, Calif., received the same sentence but also was ordered to pay $6.9 million in restitution.
Definitely not a light sentence for such a crime, showing how much more aggressive authorities are becoming towards piraters. The past three years in particular have been marked by several high-profile cases in which a group or sometimes even an individual faces prison for piracy.