Justice Prevails as Florida Man is Ordered to Serve Time for Illegally Selling Autodesk and Other Software

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Sept. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADSK) announced today that Danny Ferrer, 37, of Lakeland, Fla., was sentenced on August 25, 2006, to six years in federal prison and three years of supervised release after having pled guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of criminal copyright infringement for selling pirated software through the mail. He agreed to pay a restitution of $4.1 million. Ferrer pled guilty on June 16, 2006, in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., and agreed to forfeit numerous aircraft, boats and cars, which he had purchased with the profits from his illegal activities. To date, more than $100,000 in assets has been received from these sales, which will be used for restitution to the victims.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050415/SFF034LOGO )

The software, including those copyrighted by Autodesk, Adobe Systems Inc., and Macromedia Inc., was sold at prices significantly below the suggested retail price. Ferrer and his co-conspirators advertised the illegal software on http://www.BUYSUSA.com Website, selling more than $2.47 million worth of copyrighted software, which resulted in losses to the legitimate software developers of nearly $20 million.

"We are grateful to the Justice Department for their continued commitment to the enforcement of intellectual property laws, which protects software vendors and consumers alike," said Sandy Boulton, director of License Compliance at Autodesk. "This sentencing sends a clear message that software piracy is a crime that has serious consequences. We want to warn consumers that buying software online is extremely risky and encourage them to purchase products direct from the developers or from their local authorized resellers."

After receiving complaints from copyright holders about Ferrer's website, an undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent made a number of software purchases from the site. The Business Software Alliance (BSA), the organization representing some of the world's leading software developers including Autodesk, provided significant assistance to the investigation. Ferrer's operation began in late 2002 and continued until the FBI shut it down on October 19, 2005. The BSA recently launched a new website (www.bsacybersafety.com/fraud) designed to raise awareness about online fraud while encouraging individuals to submit their own stories of how they were "duped" into purchasing pirated software online.

As part of its License Compliance Program, Autodesk educates customers and the general public about software piracy and its damaging effects on the economy and product innovation -- while seeking legal recourse against copyright infringers. Customers are offered toolkits and information to help them implement sound software management policies. To find out where legal trade ends and software piracy begins or to anonymously report suspected software theft, visit www.autodesk.com/piracy or call Autodesk's License Compliance Hotline at 1-800-NO COPIES. To find a local authorized Autodesk reseller, visit www.autodesk.com/reseller.

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc. is a Fortune 1000 company, wholly focused on ensuring that great ideas are turned into reality. With seven million users, Autodesk is the world's leading software and services company for the manufacturing, infrastructure, building, media and entertainment, and wireless data services fields. Autodesk's solutions help customers create, manage and share their data and digital assets more effectively. As a result, customers turn ideas into competitive advantage, become more productive, streamline project efficiency and maximize profits.

Founded in 1982, Autodesk is headquartered in San Rafael, California. For additional information about Autodesk, please visit www.autodesk.com.

NOTE: Autodesk is a registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders.

Contact: Amal Nichols, 925-736-2433
Email: amal@impression.bz

SOURCE Autodesk, Inc.
09/07/2006
CONTACT: Amal Nichols, +1-925-736-2433, or amal@impression.bz, for Autodesk
Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050415/SFF034LOGO
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PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Web site: http://www.autodesk.com
(ADSK)
1332 09/07/2006 08:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com