60th Felony Conviction Obtained in Software Piracy Crackdown “Operation Fastlink”

The U.S. Department of Justice reports in its press release (quotation, not an independent finding): “WASHINGTON – The 60th felony conviction from Operation Fastlink, a major Department of Justice initiative to combat online piracy worldwide, was announced today by Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Rita M. Glavin and Acting U.S. Attorney Nora R. Dannehy of the District of Connecticut. Bryan Thomas Black, 30, of Waterloo, Ill., pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to commit criminal infringement of a copyright for his involvement in a multinational software piracy organization that was targeted by investigators as part of "Operation Fastlink," an internationally coordinated 18-month investigation. Black will be sentenced by the Honorable Ellen Bree Burns on May 26, 2009, at which time he faces up to five years of in prison, a fine of $250,000 and three years of supervised release. In pleading guilty today, Black admitted that, for nearly four years, he was a participant in the "warez scene," an underground online community made up of individuals and organized groups who engage in the large scale reproduction, modification and distribution of copyrighted software through the Internet. In the warez scene, Black served as the person who would obtain new video game releases and circumvent the digital copyright protections so that the software could then be reproduced and distributed on the Internet. Black also admitted that during the course of the conspiracy, he downloaded thousands of pirated copies of copyrighted works from various Web sites, known as warez sites, knowing that his and his co-conspirators’ actions were unlawful. Operation Fa”