A California man has been sentenced to five years in prison for operating what prosecutors believe to be some of the most successful illegal music sharing sites in the world.
Artur Sargsyan, 30, owned and operated Sharebeast.com, AlbumJams, and other websites. Prosecutors say his file-sharing infrastructure allowed the illegal download of about a billion copyrighted musical works from at least 2012 through 2015.
Prosecutors say Sargsyan received more than one-hundred RIAA takedown requests for content hosted and promoted through his sites but chose to ignore the claims. Sargsyan pleaded guilty in September to criminal copyright infringement for private financial gain. In addition to the prison term, the judge ordered him to pay $458,200 in restitution and to forfeit nearly $185,000.
There was a period when the Haulix team would regularly catch pirates attempting to share leaked music through sites owned by Sargsyan. This story is further proof that MUSIC PIRACY DOES NOT PAY. In fact, it hurts everyone involved.
