Californian Sentenced in Software Piracy Case

A California man was sentenced to seven years and three months in prison for selling more than $5.4 million in illegal copies of software made by Microsoft Corp., Adobe Systems Inc. and other companies.

Nathan Peterson, 27, of Antelope Acres also was ordered to pay restitution of $5.4 million and to forfeit homes, cars, a boat and other assets he bought with profit from a website through which he sold the pirated software.

Peterson had pleaded guilty in December to two counts of criminal copyright infringement in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va.