My life as an ex computer pirate

McManicMan · 26 Jul 2007 at 18:02

mmmmmm, but why post on an internet forum about, espically one that open to public. Yes you may say to warn others but isn't he just admitting that basically he got away scott free (apart from a so called PC ban for 5 years)

just seems strange

SexyGreyFox · 26 Jul 2007 at 18:15

McManicMan said:
mmmmmm, but why post on an internet forum about, espically one that open to public. Yes you may say to warn others but isn't he just admitting that basically he got away scott free (apart from a so called PC ban for 5 years)

just seems strange

Because I'm the only person who knows him on here and it was my idea that others may find his story interesting.
Until the other night I didn't know he was part of the great raid of 5 years ago.
I asked him exactly the same questions that others have asked - if they had no 'proof' then why accept the judgement?
He told me that everyday he got home from work he would sit there until midnight scared to death that the doors would be broke open.
When he had copied disks in the house he would find it very hard to sleep and being caught got him out of the routine.

ArmyofHarmony · 26 Jul 2007 at 18:28

Wow, interesting story... you never think british police are that bothered about software pirates.

The thing is though, the world needs software pirates, just as we apparently need Wasps and other annoying bugs.

Personally I've never been a software pirate like you, but in school I made a little lame "company" called "Pirate products", made business cards and everything... tried flogging pirate music CDs to teachers lol... needless to say, I got a lot of "negative conduct slips" for my pirate tendacies.

Anyway, basically nobody is a pirate now, due to high speed broadband.

I remember when I went to india, and asked in a computer shop if he had any games. He pulled out a massive black bag packed with pirate games... I bought a crap load... most didn't work lol.

NathanE · 26 Jul 2007 at 18:37

Were you in the scene or was it just a case of whatever you could get ahold of?

V4NT0M · 26 Jul 2007 at 18:44

ArmyofHarmony said:
most didn't work lol.

Lolmao

SexyGreyFox · 26 Jul 2007 at 18:51

NathanE said:
Were you in the scene or was it just a case of whatever you could get ahold of?

He can't answer until tomorrow

but I know he wasn't in the scene. He bought his MP3's from a local guy who I also know and very quickly mates knew they could get the latest albums off him. That escalated to mates of mates of mates etc.
Funnily enough I was in a local scene for a while in the mid 90's and was responsible for compiling the games disks.
I got a total of £0 for my efforts.

Spinal2k2 · 26 Jul 2007 at 19:17

cheets64 said:
What do you expect when you sell it on, you are asking for trouble.

Some people see it as a harmless money earner but its up there with drug dealing imho.

I know its terrible isnt it - all those pirate discs that kill people.

Its like them terrorists aswell you know - them pirates are right up there with them like the law and media say - them pirate discs have bombs in them :rolleyes:

NathanE · 26 Jul 2007 at 19:28

dmpoole said:
He can't answer until tomorrow but I know he wasn't in the scene. He bought his MP3's from a local guy who I also know and very quickly mates knew they could get the latest albums off him. That escalated to mates of mates of mates etc.
Funnily enough I was in a local scene for a while in the mid 90's and was responsible for compiling the games disks.
I got a total of £0 for my efforts.

Compiling game compilation discs (if that's what you mean?) definately wasn't a job title available in the scene

silversurfer · 26 Jul 2007 at 19:42

arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

NathanE said:
Compiling game compilation discs (if that's what you mean?) definately wasn't a job title available in the scene

Ive seen people credited for trading and distribution but its definetly on the bottom rung.
Sometimes a comp disk would use advanced compression and have trainers inserted before the games with a demo made, etc It could be a slick effort, nothing hard core though

knowlesy · 26 Jul 2007 at 19:48

AthlonTom said:
A guy I went to uni with fully caught up with both the PirateBay and Torrentspy - now thats addiction!

His PC ran at 100% load for the amount he downloaded, and he had to burn DVD's and buy HDD's like they were going out of fashion.

sounds like a major addiction there like ironicaly to conflicting sites lol what a man a hero

SexyGreyFox · 26 Jul 2007 at 20:00

NathanE said:
Compiling game compilation discs (if that's what you mean?) definately wasn't a job title available in the scene

Definitely bottom rung but we were one of the first.
Day of the Tentacle - I remember it well.

"andy" · 26 Jul 2007 at 20:02

haha dott

whos job was it to photocopy the manual so the buyer could do the copy protection puzzle

Business Man · 26 Jul 2007 at 20:02

Its customs you after worry about, people getting involved in selling alcohol and fags will draw the attention of C&E im afraid, these guys dont need a warrant and will make your life hell if your suspected or part of a group whos sellling illicit stuff.

If it were just trading standards and police it probably wouldnt of been so bad.

I'm so thankful C&E didnt get involved in my case

Vonhelmet · 26 Jul 2007 at 20:27

LordSplodge said:
They use the word "piracy" because it sounds more serious than copyright infringement.

It's almost as bad as people referring to "piracy" as stealing.

Piracy has been used to mean copyright infringement for over a hundred years.

Phalanx · 26 Jul 2007 at 20:30

wait, so this guy was selling copied stuff?

>:|sh4d0w|:< · 26 Jul 2007 at 20:35

LordSplodge said:
It really winds me up that this word became acceptable to use instead of copyright infringement. How many people who copy software use cutlasses and eye patches? Eh? A few might have wooden legs and parrots though.

Yaarrrrr!

Hear, hear, YARRR!!! Piracy has a very clear meaning and its nautical in nature thank you very much.

Vonhelmet · 26 Jul 2007 at 20:43

>:|sh4d0w|:< said:
Hear, hear, YARRR!!! Piracy has a very clear meaning and its nautical in nature thank you very much.

Wikipedia would say otherwise.

Shame the citation (from 1886) isn't available online.

inferno · 26 Jul 2007 at 21:09

NathanE said:
Compiling game compilation discs (if that's what you mean?) definately wasn't a job title available in the scene

My dad brought one of those catalogss home from work and had a cd made for me. Thought it was the best thing EVER!

Sirrel Squirrel · 26 Jul 2007 at 21:12

Very lucky escape you had there, my mate's dad wasn't so lucky, he had a small rented flat filled with nothing but dvd duplicating towers turning out thousands of dvds weekly, he was also earning a lot of money from it, enough to buy a £90k Merc!
Eventually FACT and the police got on to him and caught him pretty much red handed, he got an 30 month prison sentance and a fine of about £60k. He gets out of jail this month for good behaviour.

Below is quoted from the FACT website.

5th September 2006

ESSEX DVD PIRATE JAILED - TWO AND A HALF YEAR SENTENCE FOR PRODUCING AND SELLING COUNTERFEIT DVDS

Peter Axford, age 47, was sentenced at Blackfriars Crown Court to two years and six months imprisonment for offences relating to the manufacture, distribution and sale of pirate DVDs over a four year period. The case was prosecuted by the Federation Against Copyright Theft ('FACT').

Operating from premises in Chadwell Heath, Essex, Axford was manufacturing tens of thousands of counterfeit DVDs from a rented flat and was then supplying them to stallholders at car boot fairs in Cambridgeshire and Essex. He was also selling the pirate DVDs himself at car boot fairs.

Over 15,000 pirate discs were seized during the raid, along with 90 DVD burners and 4 colour printers used to produce the DVDs and the artwork for the sleeves.

Axford, a former fireman, had been arrested by police several times for piracy offences and the Judge's sentencing reflected his refusal to cease his activities as well as the serious, enduring and lucrative nature of the crimes.

As part of FACT's ongoing partnership with the Assets Recovery Agency ('ARA'), the criminal gain realised from Axford's illegal operations is now being investigated by the ARA with regard to a confiscation hearing in November.

Raymond Leinster, FACT Director General, said "We are very pleased that a serious and persistent offender has received a sentence commensurate with his activities. Film piracy is a crime that is attracting those who wish to finance a criminal lifestyle and this sentence shows that the courts are starting to treat this crime type much more severely, with custodial sentences and rigorous financial investigations."

ShiWarrior · 26 Jul 2007 at 21:20

iCraig said:
The closest calls I've heard of is a few acquaintances receiving warning letters off their ISP about illegal activity on their network.

I think you're not targeted by the police unless you're a major contributor to the problem, not a casual downloader. It still doesn't mean you should do it though.

However I still firmly believe — despite not infringing copyright myself — that the police should have bigger fish to fry. Sure, it reduces genuine sales and costs record and film labels millions a year, but they're hardly bankrupt are they?

Sounds like your ISP breached the Data Protection Act, they are NOT allowed to see what you have been download , its a breach of data protection!
I know, becuase my ISP, the guy that owns it, rang me to see how i was getting on, and he came up with the Data Protection Act