PRISON TERM FOR E-MERCHANT
July 25, 2008 by Lovely · Leave a Comment
Jeremiah Mondello was sentenced to 4 years in federal prison, followed by 3 years probation and 150 hours community service per year for selling privated goods online.
“Mondello is a whiz-kid who used his smarts and savvy to rip off software makers and consumers,” noted Keith Kupferschmid, SVP of Intellectual Property Policy & Enforcement for the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA). “We are fortunate that he has been stopped, but there are hundreds more like him running illegal operations on eBay and other sites. The Mondello case demonstrates that these pirates won’t simply get a slap on the wrist when caught — they very well may end up doing serious time in federal prison.”
According to the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Cyber Crime Center, Mondello used stolen bank account information to create more than 40 fictitious eBay and PayPal identities to sell pirated software via the auction site. His fraudulent sales amounted to a five to six figure sales volume.
The SIIA, which initiated the action against the notorious eBay pirate, also announced six new lawsuits against sellers of illegal software on auction sites bringing the total lawsuits so far in 2008 to 32.
“We’ve been much more aggressive in filing lawsuits this year and intend to send a clear message that auctioning counterfeit and unauthorized software will lead to serious penalties,” Kupferschmid continued. Today’s six new lawsuits will be followed by even more as the year goes on.”
The most recent lawsuits charged all of the following with knowingly selling software illegally on eBay: Nathanael S. Landsteiner, Fairmont, MN; John Hoyle and Gail La Fortune, Senoia, GA; Gennadiy Barbin, Boise, ID; Tamara Irby, Nathalie, VA; Trisha Carter/Maggie Grace Designs; Denham Springs, LA; and, Andreh Lee, Elmhurst, NY.
To date, the SIIA program has led to judgments and settlements against illegal eBay sellers as well as sellers on other websites dealing in counterfeit, OEM, unbundled, unauthorized education, and other versions of software not authorized for Internet resale. Damages paid by defendants have run as high as several hundred thousand dollars. SIIA also has successfully tracked and pursued the upstream sources of some of these products, and will continue to do so.
Read the press release from the SIIA
MILEAGE DEDUCTION INCREASE
June 26, 2008 by Lovely · Leave a Comment
The Standard deduction for mileage was raised from 50.5 to 58.5 cents per mile — a help to offset continuing rising gas prices.
The mileage increase goes into affect July 1, 2008.
The term Standard Deduction refers to business use of a personal vehicle. But, did you know that deductions also exist if you drive for charitable reasons (14 cents per mile), and for moving (27 cents per mile)?
Check with your tax professional or the IRS for complete details.
US SENATE TAKES AIM AT ECOMMERCE
There’s a bill moving through the US Senate that has had a rider attached to it at the last minute.
In The House Committee for Small Businesses at the moment, the bill introduced by Senator Christopher Dodd, promises to have “astonishing reach” according to FreedomWorks Chairman Dick Armey. Please visit the FreedomWorks article for more indepth analysis of the bill.
If you use Google Checkout, Paypal, or another merchant account, it’s in your best interest to review the bill and contact your senator about your position.
MIXED NEWS ON THE ECONOMY
June 18, 2008 by Lovely · Leave a Comment
The US Commerce Department reports that retail sales are up 1% for May 2008. While that’s great news, I’d be interested in seeing specific numbers — how much was spent with Indiepreneur businesses?
On the other side of the economic coin, applications for unemployment benefits went up 25,000 last week ALONE! You can bet that most of those unemployment checks will be spent on the essentials of living like housing and food. Discretionary income will likely be low in the months to come.
