An Arizona college student is believed to be the first person in the country to be convicted of a crime under state laws for illegally downloading music and movies from the internet, prosecutors and activists told Wired News last week.
University of Arizona student Parvin Dhaliwal pleaded guilty to possession of counterfeit marks, or unauthorized copies of intellectual property.
Under an agreement with prosecutors, Dhaliwal was sentenced to a three-month deferred jail sentence, three years of probation, 200 hours of community service and a $5400 fine. The judge in the case also ordered him to take a copyright class at the University of Arizona and to avoid file-sharing computer programs.
Although Dhaliwal wasn't charged until he was 18, he was 17 when he committed the crime. Prosecutors charged him as an adult but kept the case in state court to allow for a deferred sentence.
The charge is a low-level felony but may be dropped to a misdemeanor once Dhaliwal completes probation.
