Indiana man jailed for selling counterfeit software on eBay

Why are we not surprised?

By Drew Cullen in San Francisco • Get more from this author

Posted in Small Biz, 29th March 2007 18:44 GMT

An Indiana man bought some counterfeit Rockwell Automation software on eBay, set up the CD-duplicator and sold the disks on, you guessed it, eBay.

Now he's paying the price: 27 months in jail, forfeiture of computers and CD duplicators, a $2,000 fine, two years of supervised release, and an order to make restitution of $5,200.45

Courtney Smith, 36, of Anderson, Ind. made 4,149.97 in 32 auctions conducted in 2004– the retail value of the software sold was more $700,000, so eBay once again lives up to its reputation as a place for bargain hunters.

In England, criminals never get to be called "Mister" by the newspapers. The US's Department of Justice is more courteous:

"Mr. Smith exploited eBay to sell hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of counterfeit software at drastically reduced prices, thereby illegally profiting on the back of the copyright holder," said Assistant Attorney General Fisher. "The Department of Justice is committed to prosecuting individuals who exploit legitimate online auction sites to sell pirated software and commit other acts of fraud."

Press release here. ®

Free report. "Comparing Data Center Batteries, Flywheels, and Ultracapacitors: What is the best energy storage for you?"