From http://www.latimes.com/business/investing/wire/sns-ap-britain-internet-piracy,1,4360339.story?coll=sns-ap-investing-headlines&ctrack=2&cset=true

"The group, which gained notoriety by releasing a pirated copy of the Windows 95 operating system two weeks before Microsoft Corp. released it, was shut down by authorities in the United States, Australia, Britain and other countries following raids in 2002. More than 20 people in the United States were convicted the same year."
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WINDOWS 95 ???? Geez, why does anyone now care about release of Win 95 even when it was first released ?
Prosecutors need to get a life!
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"British prosecutors said that the four men sentenced Friday were not involved in the syndicate for money, instead cracking security codes to release the software on the Internet for free.

"They may see themselves as latter-day Robin Hoods, stealing from the rich to give to the poor, but in reality it is a cover for fraud," prosecutor Bruce Houlder told the Old Bailey Criminal Court during the trial. "Computers are their universe. They live and breathe a world of computer software."
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"Banker Alex Bell, 29, was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in jail, and Steven Dowd, who is 39 and unemployed, was sentenced to two years after they were both found guilty of conspiracy to defraud at a trial earlier this year. IT manager Mark Vent was sentenced to 18 months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to defraud.

Andrew Eardley, a former school IT worker, was given an 18 month sentence, suspended for two years. The suspension means that with good behavior, he may not serve the jail sentence. "
====================SNIP==========
And then, the most telling quote of this article...
" Judge Paul Focke said he had imposed the jail terms as a deterrent to other potential Internet pirates.

The activities of all four of you struck at the heart of the software trade," he said. "The loss of software to owners through piracy is staggering. Also, the effect on related businesses and the lives of employees can be rendered catastrophic."
================SNIP=================
Loss of software? Who "LOST" software ? If it was cracked
and released, the opposite occurred, lots of people FOUND copies of software...no one LOST software. This shows the judge didn't understand the nature of the activities if he thought anything they did caused anyone to "LOSE software". The original software was not lost nor was the ORIGINAL software changed, or any the less valuable than it was before someone copied it and cracked it.

Then, the last naughty bits...
(since it's English, I had to give a nod to Monty Python with the "naughty bits")

"Focke said that an estimated third of software being used in Britain was pirated and resulted in a loss of revenue that was impossible to quantify.

Focke also dismissed the claims the four men intended to provide free access to everyone.

"Your motivation was not only the benefit of free access," he said. "It was to enhance your personal reputation and to be a member of an organization at the leading edge of technology, crossing the legal boundary."
----------SNIP-----------
Yeah, that's the criminality of it according to Focke...it's trying to "enhance your personal reputation"....HOW DARE SOMEONE TRY TO ENHANCE THEIR PERSONAL REPUTATION....this coming from a guy wearing a white powdered wig and black dress masquerading as a "robe".

"The loss of software to owners through piracy is staggering."

What a fucking idiot.

What "loss of software"?

If it was copied, isn't that supposed to mean that the people who made it still have it?

This is too stupid to make a statement out of.

I know..it is stupid.

No matter what..for instance I would never buy photoshop for 400 or 500 bucks. I would just move to something different. If it wasn't for the masses copying that program...it probably wouldn't be as popular as it is now.

Some developers that could design a program even better have probably not bothered because photoshop has become so much the standard.

But suppose there was no way in the world to make a copy of it....then i garantee you someone would have created a free image manipulator...everyone would have downloaded it..and it would be the norm.

There's something they don't understand in their little corporate brains.

It will be funny when (or if ) they do manage to stop copying...and they realize their sales numbers haven't changed

"If it wasn't for the masses copying that program...it probably wouldn't be as popular as it is now."

Absolutely correct.

you know if they did calculate the loss of income due to software "Piracy", downloading music and Movies it would probably top the GNP of all the worlds countries combined. Which of course is an imposibility and points to the flaws in their reasoning

Years and years ago...DrinkorDie began with a Russian in 1993
who wanted to make high dollar software available to those who couldn't afford the inflated prices. Software companies themselves have programs now where kids in college can purchase high dollar software, so-called "academic versions" for a much reduced price.
Drinkordie just made it free!

DrinkorDie used to have a public website, and they said their group started by a guy named "Deviator". They quickly added more nationals and by 1995, had an international following.

As has been widely acknowledged, they DID NOT do it for money...and this frustrates the hell out of the software companies, because for a long time, they were mystified as to why a group of VERY bright people, would work for hours on end to crack software, and release it for free..after all, THEIR SOFTWARE ENGINEERS, charged them an arm and a leg for less work. It really irritated the software publishers and flew in the face of the small minded law enforcement people, who couldn't understand "criminals" who would do altruistic things, work without wanting money for it.

This is what the United States Customs Department has to say about members of DRINKORDIE...

"Who are the members of DrinkOrDie?
DrinkOrDie members are technical experts in programming, Internet communications and Internet security. They come from all walks of life. Many are successful white-collar business people by day, and DrinkOrDie members by night. The U.S. Customs has identified members who are corporate executives, computer network administrators at major U.S. universities, employees of large hi-tech companies, students, and even government workers. Some members of DrinkOrDie and other Warez groups are software company employees who steal their firm's software prior to its public release and provide it to other Warez members.

What is the motivation of these groups? Do they do it for money?
DrinkOrDie and other Warez groups steal software for the mere challenge and fun of it. Reputation is everything to them. Earning an online reputation as the fastest to steal, "crack," and release high-quality, pirated software over the Internet is most important to them. Groups compete against each other in these efforts. Some even have web sites celebrating their greatest pirating feats. They also view themselves as Robin Hood figures -- pirating new software so it can be distributed freely over the Internet. They seek an Internet devoid of rules or law. Profit does not appear to be a prime motive, although members operate websites that allow users and other members to download pirated software for a monthly subscription fee."

It still is much to the consternation of the bloated fat cats of commercial software, and the martinet members of the law enforcement community, that people GIVE AWAY software and music...FOR FREE...because it flies in the face of their own rigid, profit oriented view of the way they think the world works.

To hell with the bastards for prosecutign DOD. For goodness sake...their "Crimes" which did not really hurt anyone, are 10 years old by now!

The DOD group has not been an active bunch on the warez scene for almost that long...

These persecutors/prosecutors need to get a life in my opinion~!

"DrinkOrDie and other Warez groups steal software for the mere challenge and fun of it. Reputation is everything to them. Earning an online reputation as the fastest to steal, "crack," and release high-quality, pirated software over the Internet is most important to them."

Obviously they should re-look up steal, influenced idiots.

Wish list: all these computer brains form a worldwide network and release a free version of everything Gates & co. have every come up with. Stop trying to fight these guys and compete -- for free. Like Linux. Anybody who can "crack" these programs must be able to write their own that could be even better. Gates wants his goodies -- let him have them.

Btw, don't we all feel safer tonight? Time to lower the color coded thingy. ( I can't even remember what they call it anymore. No one pays any attention to it, do they?)

I never did from the begining

nah, they quit lowering that (or raising it) cause bush got elected again. they only did it before to keep people in fear. (seriously, i haven't seen it move since he was elected)

You have to listen to CNN for the colour code level..they post it just about everyday..like the weather.

Todays terror colour code http://www.geekandproud.net/terror/

I look at the world thru dung coloured glasses these days.

I like that, pepe. I like Robin Hood, too. But not Shmoo's glasses....

Yeah, dung colored..yucky!

You said it, Code.

"...this frustrates the hell out of the software companies...after all, THEIR SOFTWARE ENGINEERS, charged them an arm and a leg for less work."