Kody Jon Peterson, Four Others Charged with Copyright Infringement in Georgia

A hard-hitting crackdown on pirated Android apps has led to the indictment of four individuals, including Kody Jon Peterson, 22, of Clermont, Fla., in the Northern District of Georgia.

According to court documents, Peterson and his alleged accomplices, Thomas Allen Dye, 21, of Jacksonville, Fla.; Nicholas Anthony Narbone, 26, of Orlando, Fla.; and Thomas Pace, 38, of Oregon City, Ore., were charged with one count of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates of the Northern District of Georgia, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Ricky Maxwell of the FBI’s Atlanta Field Office made the announcement.

‘These crimes involve the large-scale violation of intellectual property rights in a relatively new and rapidly growing market,’ said Acting Assistant Attorney General Raman. ‘While this represents the first counterfeit apps case by the government, it exemplifies our longstanding commitment to prosecute those who steal the creative works of others.’

Prosecutors claim that Peterson and his alleged accomplices identified themselves as the SnappzMarket Group and conspired to reproduce and distribute over one million copies of copyrighted Android mobile device apps through the SnappzMarket alternative online market without permission from the software developers and other copyright owners of the apps.

The informations charge the SnappzMarket Group with renting computer servers to host websites such as www.snappzmarket.com to provide digital storage for the pirated copies of copyrighted Android apps that each group distributed to their members or subscribers.

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum prison sentence of five years in prison.

The case highlights the importance of protecting intellectual property rights in the rapidly growing mobile app market.

The government’s efforts to crack down on pirated apps are a significant step forward in protecting the creative works of software developers and other copyright owners.

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