Maybe they should have been ninjas instead of pirates.

The Entertainment Software Associations scored a victory of sorts when two convicted game pirating leaders were sentenced to jail terms of 8-15 months. They each face significant fines and will enjoy supervised release after their release, I'm sure that will be fun. Each of the men made hundreds of thousands of dollars from their piracy ventures so don't worry if you may have a piece of software where you can't provide the official license. Chances are the authorities won't by knocking down your door.

"The Entertainment Software Association today applauded the recent sentencings of two convicted pirates to significant prison time. These rulings send a clear message that intellectual property theft and game piracy are serious offenses. On August 20, 2008, U.S. District Judge Frank D. Whitney in the Western District of North Carolina sentenced Kevin Fuchs of West Amherst, NY, to eight months in prison, to be followed by eight months of home confinement during two years of court supervision. On August 15, 2008, U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III in the Eastern District of Virginia sentenced Kifah Maswadi of Oakland, FL, to fifteen months in prison, followed by three years’ supervised release and fifty hours of community service. Maswadi was also ordered to pay $415,900 in restitution."

Read the rest of the press release on ESA's website.