Warez Chief Gets 51 Months in Prison

An extradited British national that was living in Australia has been sentenced to 51 months in prison for leading one of the oldest Internet software piracy groups.

Raymond Griffiths had been living in Bateau Bay, Australia before he was extradited to the US to face piracy charges in February 2007. Prior to being sent to the US, he was held in Australian prison for three years while fighting the extradition.

Griffith lead a group could DrinkOrDie, which was part of a massive piracy operation the spanned the United Kingdom, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Australia. It was founded in Russia in 1993, and was dismantled in 2001 following raids of its bases of operation worldwide.

"Whether committed with a gun or a keyboard - theft is theft," said U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg. "And, for those inclined to steal Intellectual Property here, or from half-way around the world, they are on notice that we can and will reach them."

DrinkOrDie specialized in developing cracks that allowed pirates to use software without the need for a serial number. Some of the "victims" of these cracks included Microsoft, Adobe, AutoDesk, Symantec and Novell.

Smaller companies were also affected, and the software was kept in centralized storage sites. From there, the group would encrypt the files to hide them from law enforcement.

According to the Justice Department, DrinkOrDie distributed more than $50 million worth of software during its operations. In total, more than 40 individuals have been convicted as a result of the piracy ring both in the United States and overseas.