Infringement of Copyright—File-sharing and Counterfeits

A Connecticut woman, Carol Szoke, has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement for her participation in a file-sharing ring which was investigated in part by the Cyber Crime Center of Immigration and Customs Enforcement [hereinafter ICE].^[1] The ring operated by having suppliers give certain copyrighted material—such as audio CDs, movie DVDs, and video game CD-ROMs—to crackers who would try to circumvent any of the copyright protection used on the material.^[2] The crackers then gave the pirated material to couriers who placed it on the internet for the world to access.^[3]

Ms. Szoke’s guilty plea comes as part of ICE’s Operation Safehaven, a 15-month investigation that has resulted in the seizure of thousands of pirated CDs and DVDs, plus dozens of computers and servers.^[4]

Elsewhere, ICE agents seized 8,725 DVDs and CDs from the Val Verde Flea Market in Donna, Texas.^[5] Each of the discs were being sold for roughly $10, but no arrests were made at the time of the seizure.^[6] ICE agents, however, will continue the investigation into how the discs were made available at the flea market, and where they came from.^[7]

We have previously discussed copyright infringement and counterfeit DVDs and labels, here.

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[1] ICE, Operation Safehaven: Pennsylvania Woman Pleads Guilty to Federal Software Piracy Charge, Sept. 27, 2005, available here.
[2] Id.
[3] Id.
[4] Id.
[5] ICE, ICE Agents Seize Thousands of Pirated Music CDs and Motion Picture DVDs, Sept. 29, 2005, available here.
[6] Id.
[7] Id.