With gaol time a potential outcome, would you risk being a pirate?
 

It comes down again to downloads dont equal purchases.More than likely Nintendo or whoever took the case was all like, this site had a gigajillion downloads and all of those would have been money for us..wah!" and the jury bought it resulting in an overly tough sentence.
The above point is true if they dont enforce mandatory minimum sentences...if they do enforce them then gah! thats fucked up.

I'm guessing "gaol"=jail

yeah its an old spelling..*wikis for details...and great justice*

" I'm guessing "gaol"=jail "

Piracy though understandable, as in most cases, it is not jusfifyable. 
 
But going to jail is a wee too much. 
 
But i agree with the fine. 
 
Though this measure is just a trick to scare the masses of piracy.  
 
If they where to lock every pirate, instead of apartments and houses, the civil constructors would build prisions.

except not all pirates get put into jail. he was put into jail because the massive nature of his pirating.

" except not all pirates get put into jail. he was put into jail because the massive nature of his pirating. "

" @WilliamRLBaker said:

" except not all pirates get put into jail. he was put into jail because the massive nature of his pirating. "

Yep.   But instead of pirating they should ask a fine that would make the person in question stop on his tracks.  Its arguable if there is anything gain from throwing him in prision. "

Well there are usually clear warnings that you're not supposed to distribute someone else's software. 

" Well there are usually clear warnings that you're not supposed to distribute someone else's software.  "

Jail sentences and files for movie, music, and games piracy are grossly out of proportion with the crime.  It's purely a result of powerful lawyer based firms like large companies and the RIAA.
 
Generally the games-piracy punishments have been fair.  This case where he's really trying to distribute files willfully, or another case where someone was selling a NES clone (even saw that one in a local mall a few times) and getting money out of it.

" @Jeust said:

" @WilliamRLBaker said:

" except not all pirates get put into jail. he was put into jail because the massive nature of his pirating. "

Yep.   But instead of pirating they should ask a fine that would make the person in question stop on his tracks.  Its arguable if there is anything gain from throwing him in prision. "

I personally have a philosophical aversion to prisons being used for non violent criminals.  Home detention would serve society much better in most cases - the exception being the recidivists who just won't learn.  Let them still work and pay their debt through this method - work and home, nothing else, with the added security of tracking to ensure it happens.  Much cheaper and doesn't mix them with violence and drugs.  When he is hosting 1,000 ROMs, he is asking for trouble. "

He got busted for HOSTING them.
 
I dunno how I feel, it's a grey matter. There's no demos, so how can we judge if we're going to like it or not? £30 for a game you might play for 10 mins?
 
Tricky.

I posted this story a month ago oldschool. It's in the DS forum somewhere.

" I posted this story a month ago oldschool. It's in the DS forum somewhere. "

" @oldschool said:

" @Jeust said:

" @WilliamRLBaker said:

" except not all pirates get put into jail. he was put into jail because the massive nature of his pirating. "

Yep.   But instead of pirating they should ask a fine that would make the person in question stop on his tracks.  Its arguable if there is anything gain from throwing him in prision. "

I personally have a philosophical aversion to prisons being used for non violent criminals.  Home detention would serve society much better in most cases - the exception being the recidivists who just won't learn.  Let them still work and pay their debt through this method - work and home, nothing else, with the added security of tracking to ensure it happens.  Much cheaper and doesn't mix them with violence and drugs.  When he is hosting 1,000 ROMs, he is asking for trouble. "

I agree... with internet interdiction. "

Piracy in general has always confused me. I mean sure, you can download songs through torrents or whatever and get busted, but then again you can also go on youtube and get the songs there.

" Piracy in general has always confused me. I mean sure, you can download songs through torrents or whatever and get busted, but then again you can also go on youtube and get the songs there. "