UK crackers jailed for piracy

Four members of the software cracking group known as Drink Or Die have been sentenced to between 18 and 30 months in prison.

Two members of the group pleaded not guilty at the trial, arguing that they did not make any money out of their activities and had thus not committed a crime.

Members of the group were captured by the FBI as part of Operation Buccaneer, an organised campaign against software pirates.

Judge Paul Focke said at the trial: "Your motivation was not only the benefit of free access, it was to enhance your personal reputation and to be a member of an organisation at the leading edge of technology crossing the legal boundary."

Alex Bell and Steven Dowd had denied charges of conspiracy to defraud but were found guilty after a five-month trial and sentenced to two and a half and two years in jail respectively.

Two other members of the group, Andrew Eardley and IT manager Mark Vent, had already pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to defraud and were sentenced to 18 months apiece, although Eardley had his sentence suspended for two years.

"We are very happy with these sentences," said a Business Software Alliance investigator who was involved in the case.

"The judge demonstrated that this kind of piracy is not to be tolerated. The judge's conclusion that they were benefiting in other ways was correct."

So far 17 people have been convicted as a result of Operation Buccaneer.