THIS SITE
HAS BEEN PERMANENTLY SHUT DOWN BY
THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION AND
THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
The operator of the CastleZZT website, Nathan L. Peterson of Antelope
Acres, CA, was sentenced on September 8, 2006 to 87 months imprisonment
and ordered to pay restitution of more than $5.4 million by the U.S.
District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia for two convictions
of criminal copyright infringement. The press release for the
sentencing is available here.
Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of copyrighted material is
investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by
the Department of Justice. Individuals who willfully infringe copyright
by distributing or reproducing infringing material risk criminal
prosecution under 18 U.S.C. § 2319. First-time offenders convicted of a
felony violation of copyright laws face up to five years in federal
prison, plus the payment of restitution, forfeiture, and fines.