Florida software pirate sent to jail for 30 months

A Florida man has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail for trafficking in counterfeit software, after he was caught with just $52,000 of bootlegged product in his possession. The Business Software Alliance hails the Florida State Circuit Court's tough stance - which is not altogehter so surprising really - this represents a significant escalation in sentence tariffs for software piracy. The convicted pirate, Atlantic Beach resident David Pugh, flogged bootleg software over the Internet. Florida Department of Law Enforcement officers raided his house, after making test purchases. They found more than 1000 CD-ROMs containing pirated software. Following his release from jail, Pugh is subject to two years' probation, during which he is barred from owning computers or from having a computer in his home. ®