German Microsoft Dealer Convicted for Fraud

Published: 25 July 2004 y., Sunday
German software dealer Ralf Blasek was convicted of fraud and sentenced to five and a half years in jail Thursday for selling cheaper versions of Microsoft products at inflated prices. The Bochum state court said the fraud cost the US software giant €4.5 million ($5.5 million) in lost revenues. According to the Associated Press, the 38-year-old Blasek, a software dealer in the west German town of Willich, mislabeled educationally priced versions of software purchased in Belgium and sold them at a higher price to dealers in Bochum. Microsoft welcomed the sentence, which it said was the longest jail sentence ever in Germany for software-related fraud. Judge Wolfgang Mittrup said that Blasek had a "deeply criminal personality" and used the money from the piracy to live a luxurious life, buying around 40 pieces of property and several expensive cars.
Šaltinis: dw-world.de
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.

Facebook Comments

New comment


Captcha

Associated articles

The most popular articles

Gas Coordination Group sees overall good level of preparedness of EU Member States and Energy Community countries in case of gas crisis

The Gas Coordination Group, chaired by the Commission, met this afternoon to analyze in detail all elements of the preparedness of the EU and the Energy Community for a potential supply disruption in the Winter 2009/2010. more »

Joint statement by Commission and IMF after European Banking Coordination Initiative Meeting for Romania

In a meeting of the European Bank Coordination Initiative Group, held in Brussels, the parent banks of the nine largest banks operating in Romania reaffirmed their commitment to maintain their exposure to the country and ensure adequate capital levels over 10 percent for their affiliates. more »

Lithuania and Vilnius Turning to a More Inviting Destination

Airline airBaltic has informed of its plans to resume some flights from Vilnius International Airport before the end of this year. more »

Commission approves restructuring plan of Lloyds Banking Group

The European Commission has approved under EC Treaty state aid rules the restructuring plan of Lloyds Banking Group. more »

"Finance and climate change" - a challenge for the future

"Finance and climate change" was under discussion at a 10 November hearing in parliament's Industry, Research and Energy Committee. more »

IMF Announces Sale of 2 Metric Tons of Gold to the Bank of Mauritius

The International Monetary Fund announced today the sale of 2 metric tons of gold to the Bank of Mauritius, the nation’s central bank. more »

The new ten winners of Danske Bankas scholarships for the 2009–2010 academic year determined

After lots were drawn, ten winners of Danske Bankas scholarships and one winner of an iPod shuffle player were established. more »

Bank SNORAS begins distributing “Finasta Asset Management” II level pension funds

From 16 November 2009, AB Bank SNORAS network starts providing new products – one can sign agreements of “Finasta Asset Management” II level pension accumulation funds in all subdivisions of the bank. more »

Baltic Rim Outlook: uneven recovery

The expected turnaround in the Baltic Rim economies is likely to gradually improve the business opportunities for Nordic companies operating in the region. more »