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back to article Chinese software pirate gets 12 years in US slammer

A Chinese national has been handed a 12 year jail sentence in the United States after being convicted of selling more than $100m of pirated software from his home in Chengdu. Xiang Li, 36, was sentenced in a federal court in Wilmington, Delaware, on Tuesday after pleading guilty to copyright infringement and wire fraud charges …

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  1. BornToWin

    What a pity...

    Anything less than 35 years without parole for $100M in pirated software sales is a travesty of justice.

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    1. Sorry that handle is already taken. Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: What a pity...

      It was only $60k.

      Yeah, I was misled by the article to start with too.

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    2. Anonymous Coward
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      Anonymous Coward

      If

      If he had been caught in China he would have been given a Hero Medal.

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    3. g e
      Reply Icon
      Facepalm

      Re: What a pity...

      Quite right too.

      If only he'd simply just murdered someone.

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  2. Khaptain Silver badge

    Expensive software

    * Sold 500 works worth $100 Million: therefore $200 000 per work.

    On average each person paid $200 for software which was worth a total of $300 000. ( That's quite a margin)

    Which software is worth $200 000 that holds interest for 300 people ?

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    1. Khaptain Silver badge
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      Re: Expensive software

      Update : I just learned frorm radio BBC Worldwide that it was Space Exploration software.

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      1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
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        Paris Hilton

        Re: Expensive software

        There are 300 people who are into Space Exploration Software and ready to warez it??

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        1. Khaptain Silver badge
          Reply Icon
          Coat

          Re: Expensive software

          The governments of China, France, Russia, Japan and the USA are probably the first 5 on the list, followed by Elon Musk and maybe Richard Branson. After that my list runs dry.... North Korea and Iran might be on the "maybe" list.

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          1. Bumpy Cat
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            Joke

            Re: Expensive software

            No, I think North Korea and Iran are more interested in rockets which come back down again.

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      2. Don Jefe
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        Re: Expensive software

        WTF is 'space exploration software'? After a quick search that returned nothing but Messier based sky charts, I'm really curious as to what it was.

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        1. Sorry that handle is already taken. Silver badge
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          Re: Don Jefe

          WTF is 'space exploration software'?

          http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/

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  3. Amorous Cowherder
    Facepalm

    Oracle?!

    You can download most of their stuff for free from the Oracle website! No need for a license if it's purely for personal/educational use. Sure if you get caught running a business off it then Oracle will have down the "cleaners" faster than you can say "Larry's got an island!".

    ( I do love seeing copies of Oracle RDBMS turning up on torrent sites, it's guaranteed way to get your ratios up! )

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  4. Crisp

    He sold $100M of software?

    They shouldn't be putting him in prison, they should be giving him a job!

    How many salesmen have sales figures even close to approaching that?

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    1. Don Jefe
      Reply Icon

      Re: He sold $100M of software?

      I'm sure that $100M figure was arrived at using the same calculator the RIAA likes.

      3 0
  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    American world police?

    The worrying thing really is that the US can claim jurisdiction over an act that was committed in another country where the action was perfectly legal. If shoe was on the other foot and the Chinese lured Americans out of the country to stick them in jail there would be uproar.

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    1. Anonymous Coward
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      Anonymous Coward

      Re: American world police?

      Posting AC because..

      I break US law every single day (and if I didn't, I'd be arrested here).

      I drive on the left.

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    2. TeeCee Gold badge
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      Meh

      Re: American world police?

      Except that it's not perfectly legal in China. They do occasionally have a crackdown on this sort of thing.

      The US have probably done them a favour, I suspect that a Chinese jail sentence would have been a rather more unpleasant experience.

      Besides, there's bugger all difference I can see between committing a crime in Country A while sat in Country B and committing a crime in Country A and then catching a plane to Country B. Just 'cos teh internets make the former possible doesn't affect the legality.

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      1. Mark 65
        Reply Icon

        Re: American world police?

        There is always the debate over where the "sale" occurred, country A or country B if seller is in China and buyer in US.

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  6. Martin Huizing
    Pirate

    So long...

    And thanks for the (almost) free fish!

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  7. h3

    You can do some really evil stuff and get less of a sentence than that.

    (Or if you are the right person get a medal).

    They ignore international law when it affects them but hammer the little guy whenever possible.

    This person is doing exactly what America did to all the British writers when the United States was formed. Nothing worse than hypocrites.

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