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California software pirate busted

1 February 2007 17:38 by James "Dela" Delahunty | 32 comments

Gad Zamir, 64, was arrested for allegedly making counterfeit copies of products from companies like Microsoft and Adobe and selling them for a fraction of retail price. The Riverside Country Sherrif's department made the arrest public. Authorities armed with a search warrant found $13,000 in cash, $283,000 worth of counterfeit software and 15 computers.

The arrest stemmed from an eight month long investigation. As an example of what he charged, he sold Microsoft Server SQL 2000 Enterprise for $7,750 when it was released, which was 31% of the $25,000 retail price. He sold Adobe Photoshop Creative Suite 2 for $280, compared against its $500 retail price.

Since 2000, this practice made Zamir about $750,000. He sold the counterfeit software with illegitimate serial numbers over popular online auction sites.

Source:
The Register

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Fox points finger at Canada for piracy (27 January 2007)

Americans don't think illegal downloading is a serious offense (25 January 2007)

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Ofnir1 (Senior Member) 1 February 2007 23:49
I agree, xhardc0re, it is robbery at that price. I think the new Mitsubishi Eclipse is right around the same price, isn't it? Ai yai yai! [ + quote]
Rikoshay (Member) 2 February 2007 0:08
$25,000!? For software!? How in the world can someone look at themselves straight when selling something at that price. That's like spending $10,000 a month on a one bedroom apartment in the ghetto, with no windows, no bathroom and no locks on the door. [ + quote]
jb2453 (Newbie) 2 February 2007 0:10
ya its great how every good website worth reading has stooped to the level of (screw america) vs (screw the rest of the world). keep up the politics discussion guys!!! because thats why we all came here in the first place. [ + quote] This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 2 February 2007 0:18
ZippyDSM (AfterDawn Addict) 2 February 2007 0:16
jb2453 But...Disliking America is not politics,complaining that most in charge in the US goverment are edited by ddp is not politics its called whining..and I am rather good at it :P [ + quote] This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 2 February 2007 13:31
tabletpc (Inactive) 2 February 2007 1:48
last time i checked adobe photoshop wasn't 500.00 but 1,000 so i think there isfo on adobe photoshops price is off and 25,000 for a windows os wow i thought 400.00 for vista was bad [ + quote]
Anrkist (Inactive) 2 February 2007 3:58
I belive the CS Suite is $1000, Photoshop alone is not. [ + quote]
johnblaze (Member) 2 February 2007 4:20
Originally posted by Rikoshay: $25,000!? For software!? How in the world can someone look at themselves straight when selling something at that price. That's like spending $10,000 a month on a one bedroom apartment in the ghetto, with no windows, no bathroom and no locks on the door. Yep, that's a lot to you and me, but for a business this is actually very little. [ + quote]
solarf (Member) 2 February 2007 6:45
WTF?! 25,000 that is outrageous. IF they made it cheaper ppl would not have to go and buy pirated versions of it. And guys were here to talk about someone getting arrested in Califoria not yanks or if America is better come on now.. [ + quote]
Auslander (AfterDawn Addict) 2 February 2007 7:03
for a business that would need that server software, i have to agree that $25,000 is not a whole lot. besides, there's Unix and Linux server systems that would run better, anyway. you're paying for the Microsoft name. i am happy to see another pirate put out of business. it does seem, though, that for every real pirate-by-definition, about 3,000 filesharers get sued. edit guys, just ignore buck66m. he's a jaded douchehammer just here to start trouble. he'll be banned before long, so there's no reason to make him happy by giving him the attention he desires. "I can read, Trebek. That says Anal Bum Cover. I've spent five years of my life trying to invent an anal bum cover. Failing to do so is my greatest regret." Trebek: "You have lead a horrifying life." Ich bin der Ausl�nder. [ + quote] This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 2 February 2007 7:05
xhardc0re (Inactive) 2 February 2007 9:00
@solarf: yup, 25grand for a piece of SW. Considering that mostly businesses would use that, and not many ppl, that is an OK price for them. How the Hell a biz would buy SW from someone without expecting a legit license is another story. Gad Zamir needs to get a name change. No one is was arrested...they hated his name LOL [ + quote]
xhardc0re (Inactive) 2 February 2007 9:03
sorry to double post. OpenSource sw needs your help! If we can develop more of it & break the monopoly of companies like M$oft, there won't be a need for anyone to pirate it. Personally $100 for an operating system isn't bad but M$ Vista is totally DRM-laden crap. Linux doesn't have that DRM, it's stable, safe and does everything for free. If you can support opensource/sourceforge & other projects the large megacorporations like M$oft will simply disappear. That will be a good day!! [ + quote]
DVDdoug (Junior Member) 2 February 2007 9:44
Enterprise software is expensive! The average SAP or Oracle customer is paying MUCH more than $25K. At one time it was rumored to cost a MINIMUM of $1 million to get your company on SAP. (Now, they are marketing "more affordable" software for "medium size" companies. My former employer had a 3rd-tier accounting & inventory software. It cost about $20K initially, plus an annual license fee of around $5K (for about 5 simultaneous users). You would start getting reminders in October that it was time to renew your license. If you didn't get a new activation code, the software would stop working January 1st. [ + quote]
Dela (Staff Member) 2 February 2007 11:05
@buck66m, suspended for 14 days for offensive, unnecessary news comments. [ + quote]
Ofnir1 (Senior Member) 2 February 2007 13:30
Thank you, Dela. When it's put into business' paying 25K, I guess it isn't so much then. I believe piracy is when you sell downloaded material that isn't yours. If you just download it, I don't see that to be pirating. So I don't see how the RIAA and MPAA racks up the nerve to call P2P users "Pirates". But it's all for money, of course. [ + quote]
Ofnir1 (Senior Member) 2 February 2007 13:32
Correction, I meant to most P2P users, not all. [ + quote]
XxRUINSxX (Member) 2 February 2007 16:01
So copy right infringement deserves the same as mass murdering? Wow such distorted views, I think I'll start killing people it seems you'd get off easier... [ + quote]
club42 (Member) 2 February 2007 17:30
Thanks Dela people shouldn't judge a population by their government. [ + quote]
borhan9 (AfterDawn Addict) 2 February 2007 21:18
LOL!!! This guys a classic makes copies and has 15 computers to help him out. What a nob :P [ + quote]
Mofomac (Newbie) 4 February 2007 16:54
He's 64!!!? wow! old school hacker! [ + quote]
ChappyTTV (Newbie) 5 February 2007 15:51
$25,000 is nothing for such a complex piece of work, and it cost many 100's of millions to develop that s'ware, they have to recoup that cost somewhere don't they. Open Source solutions are no better or cheaper for that matter, just look it up. Businesses can't afford to use "Pirated" s'ware either, can you imagine the New York Stock Exchange running on cracked copies for their servers?? Yah...right. Corporate server networks are worth millions upon millions of dollars, and s'ware to run and secure it is not easy to build or cheap and $25,000 is nothing compared to what it could cost them without such s'ware. Back to the point of the article, this guy was looking to get busted eventually. You can't offer those kind of prices in public auctions without raising some eyebrows & elicting some hard questions. [ + quote]
twobells (Newbie) 6 February 2007 5:26
Buck66m: Why are you constantly yapping on negatively about americans? Even your usage of the term 'yank' is so dated. Yes, there are americans who are twats, just as some europeans. I have met and worked with some great 'yanks'; on average americans are a polite, considerate and articulate bunch unlike many europeans, mentioning no names. If you need to lambast anyone chastise the french ;-) [ + quote]
RNR1995 (Inactive) 10 February 2007 5:27
I agree with twobells Do not think us "Yanks" are represented by our Government actions. We are not, that is a result of corporations. Most US Citizens disagree with the Governments foreign policy We are not as free as some would have you beleive..... [ + quote]
Ofnir1 (Senior Member) 13 February 2007 9:58
So true, RNR1995. A lot of foreigners thinks that us Americans just love invading every country we can get our paws on... it's sad really. USA's foreign policy is more hostile than it is safe. And yes, that is a result of corporations, especially the defense contractors. A surplus in weapons is VERY bad news... [ + quote]
Robert1 (Newbie) 17 February 2007 9:19
Originally posted by ZIppyDSM: jb2453 But...Disliking America is not politics,complaining that most in charge in the US goverment are edited by ddp is not politics its called whining..and I am rather good at it :P [ + quote]
Robert1 (Newbie) 17 February 2007 9:27
Quote: Originally posted by ZIppyDSM: jb2453 But...Disliking America is not politics,complaining that most in charge in the US goverment are edited by ddp is not politics its called whining..and I am rather good at it :P when your country is being bombed or another country invades your country who do yu call cryen to help the UNITED STATES BECAUSE WE ARE SO POWERFUL AND ALWAYS WILL BE! YU PEOPLE FORGET WHAT WE HAVE DONE DURING WORD WAR 2 REMEBER IF YU DONT LIKE THE UNITED STATES DONT GO CRYEN FOR HELP FIGHT YOUR OWN BATTLES IF YU CAN BUT YU CANT BECAUSE YU ARE SO WEAK [ + quote]
Ofnir1 (Senior Member) 19 February 2007 16:33
Quote: [quote=Robert1]when your country is being bombed or another country invades your country who do yu call cryen to help the UNITED STATES BECAUSE WE ARE SO POWERFUL AND ALWAYS WILL BE! YU PEOPLE FORGET WHAT WE HAVE DONE DURING WORD WAR 2 REMEBER IF YU DONT LIKE THE UNITED STATES DONT GO CRYEN FOR HELP FIGHT YOUR OWN BATTLES IF YU CAN BUT YU CANT BECAUSE YU ARE SO WEAK But that's just what you are lead to believe, America "helping" people is just an illusion. If you think that America takes care of people, let alone it's own, try researching the connection between Aspartame and Donald Rumsfeld. World War II was scripted to happen just like all wars and battles that happened. It's all part of an agenda, and one of the tools to make it happen is Problem-Reaction-Solution. And to think that American soldiers are fighting for "freedom" is even worse... young men and women are duped by thier recruiters into thinking that they won't see war and end up dying anways... some are even told that the war is over! If only everyone would just wake up and think for themselves instead of being lead to believe like little sheeps. \|PlayStation 2 [version 7], DMS4 Pro, ToxicBIOS 1.4w/ ToxicOS 0.4, 80GB HDD\| NEC DualLayer DVD+RW/-RW ND-3550A, Taiyo Yuden & Ritek DVD-R [ + quote]