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eBay pirates plead guilty to selling $6m software for pennies

Jail-time beckons

By Drew Cullen • Get more from this author

Posted in IT Channel, 26th June 2007 00:05 GMT

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Two Americans pleaded guilty today to selling $6m worth of counterfeit software over eBay.

In 2003 and 2004 Robert Koster of Jonesboro, Arkansas auctioned more than $5m worth of counterfeit factory management software from Rockwell Automation, for a personal profit of $23,000. Also in 2003 and 2004 Yutaka Yamamoto of Pico Rivera, California auctioned $543,000 worth of Rockwell Automation software on eBay for a net gain of $6,000. Once again, eBay lives up to its reputation as a great place to get a bargain.

Koster and Yutaka are to be sentenced by a Wisconsin court in November, along with four other defendants who previously pleaded guilty. Worse case scenario is five years in jail, $250,000 fine and three years supervised release.

All told, nine defendants have been convicted of selling Rockwell software with a net value of $30m over eBay, according to the Department of Justice.

Joining the Wisconsin six are two convictions in Michigan and one conviction in Indiana. ®

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