Business Software Alliance Applauds Sentencing of New York Man for Copyright Infringement

WASHINGTON, June 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Business Software Alliance (BSA) applauded the sentencing by U S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga in the Eastern District of Virginia of Robert Cimino of Syracuse, NY. Cimino was sentenced to 18 months in prison for criminal copyright infringement and ordered to pay $272,655 in restitution for his sales of over $250,000 worth of pirated software. From 2006 through 2009, Cimino manufactured and distributed pirated copies of popular business, engineering and graphic design software from several BSA member companies, including Adobe, Autodesk, Intuit, Quark, Microsoft and SolidWorks, on various Web sites including the popular auction site eBay.  Cimino operated under the business name "SoftwareSuite" and advertised the sale of pirated software on various advertising forums including www.buysellcommunity.com and www.sell.com.  

The BSA assisted in bringing Cimino to justice by originally referring the case to the FBI and lending ongoing support throughout the investigation.

"The conviction of Robert Cimino is yet another reminder that the illegal practice of operating or selling unlicensed or stolen software over the internet is a major issue facing the technology industry and one which will not be tolerated," said Paul Fournier, Manager of Internet Investigations for BSA. "The BSA is proud to work alongside the Department of Justice and others in the law enforcement community to protect the industry from those who attempt to fraudulently copy and distribute unlicensed software online."  

Last year, BSA launched Faces of Piracy (www.bsa.org/faces), 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 is dedicated to the fight against software piracy and is committed to raising awareness of the negative impacts it has on both the industry and society at large.  

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, CyberLink, Dassault Systemes SolidWorks Corporation, Microsoft, Minitab, Progress Software, Quark, Quest Software, Rosetta Stone, Siemens, Sybase, Symantec, and The MathWorks.

SOURCE Business Software Alliance