Federal Prosecutors Pursue Digital Piracy Cases

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The Justice Department's fight against piracy is going mobile. For the first time, federal prosecutors are building criminal cases against those who allegedly help distribute pirated versions of thousands of apps for Google's Android operating system, which is used in mobile phones. So far, four men from Florida and Oregon have been charged with copyright crimes for allegedly making illegal versions of copyrighted apps or running websites where pay-for apps were available for free download. Other individuals are under investigation and could be indicted soon, according to people familiar with the cases. The prosecutions come amid a heightened Justice Department effort to target the middlemen who run sites that host pirated material, much of which is uploaded by others.


Federal Prosecutors Pursue Digital Piracy Cases