Content Thief Pleads Guilty

Sean M. Lovelady, 28, a member of online piracy group Imagine, has pled guilty to conspiracy to commit copyright infringement, posting movies online before they were released for DVD and other aftermarket uses, like online play.

He admitted to conspiring to make and distribute tens of thousands of digital copies of movies to members of Imagine and others.

Lovelady was indicted April 18 and after the guilty plea could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Justice has been cracking down on IP theft through, among other things, "through heightened criminal and civil enforcement."

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.