ELSPA Aids British GameCube Pirate's Sentencing

Stuart Eardley, owner of a store in Staffordshire, England, has been convicted of software piracy after being apprehended in 2005 by a joint operation of the Entertainment & Leisure Software Publishers Association, Staffordshire Trading Standards, and the local police. Eardley was found guilty of manufacturing and selling counterfeit games for all console systems including the GameCube, making his the first GameCube piracy case in the British ELSPA's history. The GameCube has been targeted less for piracy than Sony's PlayStation 2 or Microsoft's Xbox due to the higher degree of difficulty in running unlicensed software on the system. Authorities discovered 220 illicit GameCube discs in his store, called Media Weeble, alongside counterfeit copies of other console and PC software. The retailer was ordered by Judge Orrell of Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court to pay 3,310 pounds ($5,768 USD) in fines and serve 240 hours of community service as a result of his crimes. "This case highlights the very real threat of criminal prosecution and a criminal record to anyone tempted to become involved in the illegal copying of computer and video games. ELSPA thanks all those involved for the successful resolution of this investigation," said ELSPA deputy director general Michael Rawlinson on the sentencing.