Two university students from Sydney today received 18-month suspended jail terms in Australia's first criminal prosecution for Internet music piracy.
Charles Kok Hau Ng, 20, and Peter Tran, 19, pleaded guilty in the Downing Centre Local Court to a string of copyright breaches.
They were the webmasters in charge of the digital music site MPW3/WMA Land, which offered 390 CDs and more than 1,800 tracks for download.
The site attracted more than seven million hits.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) previously estimated the duo's pirated music operation, providing a hub for the large-scale exchange of music files, cost the music industry more than $A60 million.
Deputy Chief Magistrate Graeme Henson said the defendants had known their activities were illegal and had gone to some lengths to avoid detection.
He said the seriousness of the offences and the need to deter others from similar behaviour warranted a jail term, and sentenced Ng and Tran to 18 months imprisonment.
However, he suspended the sentences taking into account their youth and the fact they did not profit from their website.
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