College Athlete Turned Software Pirate Sentenced to Three Years Behind Bars

The Business Software Alliance (BSA) applauded the December 19th sentencing by U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks in Austin, Texas of Thomas Rushing for copyright infringement. Twenty-four year old Rushing was sentenced to three years in federal prison, three years of supervised release following jail time and a $10,000 fine. Furthermore, Rushing’s 2006 Porsche Cayenne Turbo, valued at approximately $40,000, a HDTV and computer equipment were also seized as part of the sentencing mandate.

Beginning his sophomore year in college at the University of Texas in January 2004, Thomas Rushing of Wichita Falls, Texas operated four for-profit websites that offered pirated copies of Adobe and Macromedia software. Claiming it as backup software, Rushing and his partners offered individuals the opportunity to download the software from his website or purchase both the download and CD. Rushing would burn the software on a CD-R and then mail it to unsuspecting consumers. Between early 2006 and September 2007, Rushing and his partners sold an estimated retail value of $2,500,000 in illegal software.

The BSA was responsible for providing the Department of Justice (DOJ) with evidence that led to Rushing’s conviction. After receiving reports from two BSA member companies, the BSA investigated Rushing and then referred the case to the DOJ. During 2008, BSA referred eight new cases to DOJ and provided support through evidence examination on five other investigations.

“Thomas Rushing entered college with a bright future but his life was unfortunately sidetracked when he started selling illegal copies of software for profit. Like many software pirates, Rushing thought he could operate his online scheme anonymously and not get caught but he was wrong. Software piracy is a serious offense that comes with severe penalties,” said Neil MacBride, BSA’s Vice President of Anti-Piracy and General Counsel.

Know it Report it Reward it CAMPAIGN
In April 2008, BSA expanded its popular reward program to individuals who report the sale of illegal software over the Internet, including auction sites. Under this program, BSA offers rewards of up to $1 million for qualifying reports received via its hotline or online reporting form. Confidential reports can be made by visiting www.nopiracy.com. Reward payments are subject to eligibility requirements, the details of which are provided on the website.

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