Introduction

What seemed like a victimless act turned into a life-changing experience for Danny, Tommy, Diane, and William. With the click of a mouse, these individuals turned from businessman, track star, grandmother, and software programmer into software pirates. How? They got caught offering illegal software over the Internet through for-profit Web sites, auction sites, and private servers. As a result, these “Faces of Piracy” are paying for their actions with jail time, community service, and financial settlements.

The Internet is filled with software pirates who await the opportunity to offer illegal software to online consumers. Some vendors sell illicit products via auction sites and Web sites. Others offer free software for download on private servers. Regardless, these individuals knowingly break the law and are under the misguided assumption that they will not get caught.

But the anonymity of the Internet is no longer a safe haven for individuals peddling their illegal wares. The Business Software Alliance (BSA), working with the FBI and local law enforcement agencies, has intensified its efforts to track down and prosecute online software pirates, and their efforts are paying off. Consider this:

• In 2007, BSA shut down more than 13,800 online auctions offering more than 50,500 individual software products;

• During the first half of 2008, BSA requested that 18,314 auctions offering 45,000 products worth a combined $22 million be shut down; and

• In 2007, BSA sent more than 1.9 million takedown notices to Internet Service Providers (ISPs) asking them to remove the offending software.