"A man from Columbus, Georgia has pleaded guilty to two felonies connected to the distribution of copyright works via the EliteTorrents BitTorrent tracker, which was shut down by the FBI in 2005. As a major uploader he faces 5 years in jail plus a $250,000 fine."
In 2005 the FBI and U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement led an operation known as "Operation D-Elite" which resulted in the shutdown of EliteTorrents, a popular Bittorrent tracker site.
The twenty-four year old Sam Kuonen, a major uploader from EliteTorrents, was charged with conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement as well as actual criminal copyright infringement after pleading guilty to both counts. According to TorrentFreak, the charges "suggest that Kuonen could’ve been the uploader of the pre-released Star Wars: Episode III."
Such an act violates the Family Entertainment Act 2005 where "so far in the US, only uploaders who distribute movies that are still in theaters have had criminal charges brought against them."
Source: TorrentFreak
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