Sony Computer Entertainment Australia stings pirates
by Jolex Del Pilar

Thursday, June 20, 2002

Ring leader of software pirates ordered to pay hundreds of thousands in damages.

Sony Computer Entertainment Australia’s recent dogged pursuit of a band of videogame pirates in that country has paid off, with an Australian Federal Court ruling in the entertainment giant’s favor and ordering the defendants to pay damages.

The ring was copying PlayStation games and selling them through an underground distribution ring. The court ordered the ringleader of the group, Barry Jakopcevic, and two associates, to pay Sony almost 300,000 Australian dollars (approximately $167,000 U.S.) for stealing its intellectual property.

Around $112,000 of the penalty represents the profit the pirates made from selling the counterfeit games, while the remaining amount of the fine will cover court costs.

The investigation, spearheaded by Sony, took place over a nine-month period. Sony operatives actually purchased some of the illegal games, then traced them back to the ringleader's house. It also used forensic imaging devices on Jakopcevic’s computer hard drive to restore deleted records and prove the group was dealing in software piracy.

--- Jolex Del Pilar, Volks Lackey