Arizona tags naughty file-trader

9 Mar 2005

An Arizona youngster has earned the dubious distinction of being the first person convicted under state laws for pulling copyrighted songs and films off P2P networks.

The Feds tend to dominate copyright cases, but in the case of of Parvin Dhaliwal, Arizona stepped in to charge the boy with a crime. The University of Arizona student pleaded guilty to IP (intellectual property) violations in exchange for a three-month deferred prison sentence, 3 years probation, 200 hours of community service and a $5,400 fine, according to an AP report. Quite comically, a judge commanded Dhaliwal to attend a university class on copyrights as well. That'll learn him.

Arizona prosecutors moved forward with the case because Dhaliwal, at 17, was only a minor when first charged. He's 18 now.

"His age was a big factor," Krystal Garza, spokeswoman for the Maricopa County Attorney's Office told AP. "If it went into federal court, it's a minimum of three months in jail up front."

Dhaliwal separated himself from many of the college pirates out there in that he was accused of selling the material downloaded from the Internet. Not the best way to give file traders a good name.

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