Texas Man Sentenced to 18 Months, Fined Nearly $600,000 for Selling More Than $1 Million in Counterfeit Software

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Business Software Alliance (BSA), the leading trade association for the global software industry, today applauded the sentencing of Todd Alan Cook of Wichita Falls, Texas for selling more than $1 million worth of pirated computer software, including software from Adobe, a BSA member company. Along with his father and a third individual, Cook operated several websites that sold large volumes of counterfeit software. U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis III ordered Cook to pay restitution in the amount of $599,771 and sentenced him to 18 months in prison and three years of supervised release. BSA assisted the Department of Justice throughout its investigation and supported the agency in bringing Cook to justice.

"BSA was pleased to work with the Justice Department throughout the Todd Alan Cook investigation, and we appreciate their commitment to identifying, pursuing and prosecuting all individuals who commit software piracy," said Paul Fournier, Manager of Internet Investigations for BSA. "With such extensive counterfeit software sales topping $1 million, this sentencing was a great success for the law enforcement community. Others who attempt to illegally profit from the distribution of unauthorized software should think twice before risking such stiff legal and economic penalties."

In 2009, BSA launched Faces of Piracy, a Web site featuring interviews with exposed software pirates as a way to demonstrate the negative consequences associated with this illegal activity, and to help educate visitors on how they can help protect software companies and consumers from falling victim to these schemes.   BSA recently introduced three new "Faces", providing an in-depth look at the other side of software piracy—the "good guys" who work to alleviate this global challenge and promote the importance being software compliant.  

About BSA

The Business Software Alliance (www.bsa.org) is the foremost organization dedicated to promoting a safe and legal digital world.  BSA is the voice of the world's commercial software industry and its hardware partners before governments and in the international marketplace.  Its members represent one of the fastest growing industries in the world.  BSA programs foster technology innovation through education and policy initiatives that promote copyright protection, cyber security, trade and e-commerce.  BSA members include Adobe, Altium, Apple, Autodesk, Aveva, Bentley Systems, Corel, Dassault Systemes SolidWorks Corporation, Microsoft, Minitab, Progress Software, Quark, Quest Software, Rosetta Stone, Siemens, Sybase, Symantec, and TheMathWorks.

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SOURCE Business Software Alliance

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