Microsoft welcomes software pirate jailing

Software giant says convictions should deter public from considering illegal software purchases

A software pirate was jailed for 15 months for role in software burglary

Software pirate Nicholas Wright has been jailed for his role in a string of burglaries in Wales that led to £190,000 worth of software being stolen.

Wright, who has previously settled out of court with Microsoft for copyright and trademark offences, was jailed for 15 months for conspiracy to commit burglary along with three other men.

The gang was brought to justice after a series of raids by the Thames Valley Police Serious and Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) across the South East and Wales.

Tony Lees, detective inspector from the Thames Valley SOCU, said since the gang were put behind bars an “immeasurable and a considerable change” has been noted in the level of “serious and acquisitive” crime in the region.

Michala Wardell, head of anti-piracy at Microsoft UK, said: “The judgment against Mr Wright should serve as a warning to the public about the true consequences of buying illegal software.

“As this case shows, people who sell and distribute pirated software are often connected to more serious crimes, such as identity theft, fraud and burglary.”

Matt Fisher, director at software vendor FrontRange Solutions, added: “It is even more important that organisations have a firm handle on their software licenses - not only from a compliance point of view, but also as a way of documenting exactly what they have, how it's being used and what proofs of entitlement they possess.”