Baltimore Resident Indicted for Selling More Than $4 Million in Pirated Software
12-Jul-2012
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WASHINGTON - The Business Software Alliance (BSA) applauded the recent indictment of Baltimore resident Naveed Sheikh, who illegally sold more than 1,000 copyrighted commercial software programs from BSA members Microsoft, Adobe and Apple, among others that totaled a retail value of more than $4 million, a press release by the BSA stated.
From 2004-2008, Sheikh led a conspiracy that involved recruiting and compensating individuals running multiple rogue websites that sold illegal copies of software. Sheikh’s websites, including ezencode.com, lazer-toners.com, and coark.net, sold corrupted versions of software that forced users to disable security protections which could result in malware infection and other vulnerabilities. If convicted, Sheikh could face a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for conspiracy and copyright infringement. The indictment also requests forfeiture of $4 million for the proceeds of Sheikh’s operation.
“BSA applauds the quick action by the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Office of the United States Attorney,” said Jodie Kelley, BSA’s Senior Vice President of Anti-Piracy and General Counsel. “With the rate of software piracy rising each year, it is more critical than ever that the public and private sector work together to protect American innovation. BSA looks forward to working with the federal government to support intellectual property rights and prevent future software piracy.”
Through its Faces of Internet Piracy website, SAM Advantage course, and resources available on its BSA.org, BSA has worked to educate consumers on proper software asset management and the inherent technical, financial, and legal dangers involved in utilizing unlicensed software. Those wishing to report instances of software piracy can do so confidentially at www.NoPiracy.org.
The Business Software Alliance is the leading global advocate for the software industry.