Convicted software pirate, ‘Jakub F,’ has been given one of the weirdest punishments ever seen in a copyright infringement case
The man, named only as Jakub F, was told he would be spared having to pay hefty damages as long as a film denouncing piracy he was made to produce got 200,000 views.
He reached his target within days, and now has over 400,000 hits on YouTube.
He came to the out-of-court settlement with a host of firms whose software he pirated after being convicted by a Czech court.
In return, they agreed not to sue him.
The 30-year-old was also given a three-year suspended sentence.
The criminal court decided that any financial penalty would have to be decided either in civil proceedings or out of court.
The firms, which included Microsoft, HBO Europe, Sony Music and 20th Century Fox, estimated that the financial damage amounted to thousands of pounds, with Microsoft alone valuing its losses at 5.7m Czech Crowns (£148,000).
But the Business Software Alliance (BSA), which represented Microsoft, acknowledged that Jakub could not pay that sum.
Instead, the companies said they would be happy to receive only a small payment and his co-operation in the production of the video.e.
