Firm, 3 Officers Indicted in Computer Piracy Case

A federal grand jury in Los Angeles on Tuesday returned a five-count indictment charging a Santa Ana firm and three of its officers with computer piracy.

The indictment against Standard International Trading Corp. and three of its directors, Eddy Chan-Yu Lin, 27, Tommy Chin-Ho Lin, 26, and Chia-Hsun Chou, 24, said that in 1983 they illegally sold Apple II Panasia computers to the public with unauthorized copies of two software programs.

Assistant U.S. Atty. David W. Wiechert said the three, who are citizens of Taiwan and live in Orange County, sold 10 Panasia computers to undercover FBI agents on Dec. 28, 1983.

The indictment also accuses the defendants of illegally importing pirated computers and computer programs into Southern California, adding that they also imported pirate Apple computers and component parts into Northern California.

If convicted on all counts, each of the three men faces a maximum penalty of 17 years in prison and an $80,000 fine. The company faces a maximum fine of $80,000.