ZDNet UK / News and Analysis / Security / Security Management

Software engineer sentenced to prison

By Lisa M Bowman, CNet, 3 May, 2002 10:54

Daily Newsletters

Sign up to ZDNet UK's daily newsletter.

Topics

Copyright, Software piracy, Prosecution, Prison, DrinkorDie, Jail

NEWS
A former security software engineer convicted of providing technology to a piracy group known as DrinkOrDie was sentenced Thursday to nearly three years in prison. Barry Erickson, 35, of Eugene, Oregon, pleaded guilty in federal court in Virginia to one count of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement. Erickson, who is scheduled to serve 33 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release, is the first person to be sentenced in the case. US attorneys said Erickson, who was an engineer at Symantec and a member of DrinkOrDie, provided his company's technology to the group's members so they could remove copyright protections on software and provide counterfeit copies via the Web. "The prosecution of this defendant, and the lengthy prison term he has received, demonstrate the Department of Justice's resolve that the copyright laws will be enforced in the cyberworld," US Attorney Paul J. McNulty said in a statement announcing the sentencing. "It is yet another step in our initiative to make the Internet safe for individuals and businesses." Members of the loosely knit DrinkOrDie group often came together only through the Internet to distribute pirated software and movies via secret Web sites and invite-only IRC (Internet relay chat) channels. So far, several alleged DrinkOrDie ringleaders and members have pleaded guilty in the case and are awaiting sentencing. Officials in the US Attorney's Office said they expect additional prosecutions. Erickson's attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In his plea, Erickson agreed that he caused between $2.5m and $5m worth of damage. Defence attorneys have long argued that it's impossible to determine exactly how much damage software pirates cause, which gives prosecutors a lot of leverage. For example, Jennifer Granick, a defence lawyer who's also the litigation director of Stanford's Center for Internet and Society, said prosecutors can convince defendants to agree to large damages by threatening to ratchet up the numbers if they don't plead guilty. "We're operating in this theoretical land of damages," Granick said. However, copyright owners maintain strong law-enforcement action discourages piracy. Jack Valenti, president of the Motion Picture Association of America, has said that the number of pirated software sites of all types has declined by 45 percent since police began cracking down on DrinkOrDie's activities in December.
For all security-related news, including updates on the latest viruses, hacking exploits and patches, check out ZDNet UK's Viruses and Hacking News Section. Have your say instantly, and see what others have said. Go to the Security forum. Let the editors know what you think in the Mailroom.

Related stories

Software pirates face ten years in jail

Group offers amnesty to US software pirates

Accused piracy leader pleads guilty

Data leaks cost Midlothian a record £140k fine

Google-backed DMARC system aims to block phishers

Post your comment

In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in.

You can also log in with Facebook. Log in or create your ZDNet UK account below

  • Login

Will not be displayed with your comment

By signing up for this service, you indicate that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and understood our Privacy Policy. Questions about membership? Find the answers in the Community FAQ

Get ZDNet UK's daily newsletter

Enter your email address to sign up

ZDNet UK Live

GrueMaster

Nice review and very informative. One thing I'd like to add (in reply to whs001's 1st question), the main reason to have the same interface from...

53 minutes ago by GrueMaster on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Frederick Wrigley

I'be been using Mint 12 since the RC came out, and I am far more happy with the Cinnamon, the Mate, and, yes (with extensions), theGnome 3...

2 hours ago by Frederick Wrigley via Facebook on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
bdantas

Excellent article. One small correction, though--although a fresh installation of Linux Mint 12 will, indeed, provide the user with a version of...

2 hours ago by bdantas on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Alan Ralph

In related news, the ISPs club together to get the members of the Home Affairs Select Committee (ya goofed on that part, ZDNet UK) copies of "The...

3 hours ago by Alan Ralph via Facebook on MPs urge ISPs to take down terrorist material
Alan Ralph

In related news, the ISPs club together to get the members of the Home Affairs Select Committee (ya goofed on that part, ZDNet UK) copies of "The...

3 hours ago by Alan Ralph via Facebook on MPs urge ISPs to take down terrorist material
Moley

For Gnome 2 die-hards, it is possible to add icons to the bottom panel (or top top panel, if you prefer) which provide the exact Gnome 2...

4 hours ago by Moley on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
ramwellian

Your comments would seem pretty naive and immature. Your 'solution' appears to be, "gee, let's all just give in to the hackers and give them...

4 hours ago by ramwellian on Cloud computing security: no more oxymoron?
BugStalker

"Interesting thought ... If you installed Win7 as a dual boot on a machine that previously only had Linux, and it wrecked your Linux installation,...

4 hours ago by BugStalker on Windows 7 Declares War on GRUB
whs001

This is an excellent summary of Ubuntu and Mint and the interface differences between them. Most such articles take a very partisan position for...

4 hours ago by whs001 on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Moley

@ewallace. Not so clear. Anyone can obtain the text, for example from here http://www.ustr.gov/webfm_send/2379. I support ACTA so long as it and...

5 hours ago by Moley on ACTA: Facts, misconceptions and questions
45283

I think WinRT is fantastic. I just wish it was an option for people that didn't want to go through Microsoft's App Store with its attendant...

8 hours ago by 45283 on Why Windows 8 needs architectural hygiene for WOA
Burn-IT

Nine people? £30m? Who's back pocket is that lot going in? And IF they say it is for new buildings, what about all the ones the government has...

9 hours ago by Burn-IT on Police set to launch three £30m e-crime hubs
ewallace

Just to be clear, nobody knows what is in the text of ACTA, here is a photograph of the text of ACTA http://twitpic.com/8h9iju as submitted to the...

9 hours ago by ewallace on ACTA: Facts, misconceptions and questions
fgvrg56

Unfortunately main issue is that ASUS is refusing to accept that they make some mistake on this version of asus Transformer prime. 1 - GPS sensor...

10 hours ago by fgvrg56 on Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime Wi-Fi & GPS problems?
Ben Woods

@Marcus A fair question. Just talked with Archos which said it was working on an announcement for next week....

11 hours ago by Ben Woods on Archos confirms G9 Ice Cream Sandwich update schedule
Marcus Karlsson

Any update on this, considering the claimed "first week of February"?

12 hours ago by Marcus Karlsson via Facebook on Archos confirms G9 Ice Cream Sandwich update schedule
apexwm

Bill Goodrich : Just as al_langevin pointed out, with Windows Server 2008 there is no Services for Macintosh anymore. It's gone, not available....

21 hours ago by apexwm on Windows Server 2008 drops the ball for Mac compatibility
txtrainguy

Replying to an old topic that I'm currently facing with my CEO (who is on a Mac). Our servers are primarily Windows Servers, office is about...

1 day ago by txtrainguy on Windows Server 2008 drops the ball for Mac compatibility
k0tcs3

Sure, that makes perfect sense. Pay wrong-doers money and thank them for breaching your security and pointing out your flaws, that would surely...

1 day ago by k0tcs3 on US indicts Romanian over NASA climate change hack
Random_Error

I think he's referring specifically to Android apps, as Apple do regulate their App Store, but Google seem to let any old crap onto the Android store!

1 day ago by Random_Error on RIM: BlackBerry will keep 'garbage' apps out of store

Latest in Security Management

Data leaks cost Midlothian a record £140k fine

Google-backed DMARC system aims to block phishers

Ten ways to take the sting out of IT disasters

Featured white papers

2012 Olympics: Is your business prepared?

Symantec.cloud

2012 Olympics: Is your business prepared?

The Olympics are coming to London, and this factsheet can help businesses to get ready for the... Read more

10 safety tips for business in 2012

Symantec.cloud

10 safety tips for business in 2012

From cloud computing to remote working, your business should consider these ways to keep your business secure as traditional IT... Read more

Keeping safe from organised cybercrime

Symantec.cloud

Keeping safe from organised cybercrime

As cyber-criminals become increasingly coordinated in their cross-medium attacks, a solid, communicating and... Read more

Inside ZDNet UK

A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint

A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint

2012 Predictions: VCE FastPath, VI SAN Probe & Hadoop

2012 Predictions: VCE FastPath, VI SAN Probe & Hadoop

BlackBerry Bold 9790

BlackBerry Bold 9790

Case study: How cloud enables growth

Case study: How cloud enables growth

Ten factors that make Ubuntu 11.10 a hit

Ten factors that make Ubuntu 11.10 a hit

Toshiba Portégé Z830-10P Review

Toshiba Portégé Z830-10P Review

BT's archive: Pictures from the vault

BT's archive: Pictures from the vault