We were able to interview a teenager who was guilty of pirating services fron a local cable company. He granted us this interview as long as we didn't use his name or picture. He was fourteen when his story began. He is now twenty-one, a college graduate and working for the same company that he "stole" from. For obvious reasons, he wants to remain anonymous. Here is his story.

Question: What type of piracy did you commit?

Pirate: They thought I was guilty of theft of service which means that I was accused of using an illegal cable box without authorization. The notice said I "knowingly and willfully made an illegal physical connection to the cable system to receive unauthorized services". In plain English, I was accused of using this cable box to download a fighting match that was on Pay Per View.

Question: How did you feel when you were caught?

Pirate: First, I didn't think they proved their case. I did purchase an illegal box online but never used it in my house. I took it over to a friend's, and he used it without me knowing it. At first, I couldn't believe it. They were asking for $5,000 as a fine and that bothered me. Since I was only fourteen, I was kind of relieved that they couldn't go after me really. My parents would be responsible. I was fine with that until my parents told me I would have to pay them back. That was a real bummer! After the fine was paid, my parents made me do a report on piracy. I realized then that what I did was really wrong but it was so easy to do.

Question: Would you do it again?

Pirate: The temptation is always there. Just like I said, it is so easy to download anything from the Internet these days. I hear that the recording industry is going after kids but what are the chances of getting caught? Because of my experience of having to pay so much money, I would rather pay $1 for a legal download from iTunes and that's just what I do. I now have a legal cable box in my apartment and I pay the monthly fees. If something special is on, I also pay for that. I hope I learned my lesson.

Question: What advice can you give kids?

Pirate: I guess it would be to try and do the right thing. It's great that you are creating this website. Kids need to be educated so they are not ignorant of the law. I am sure you are doing a great job in helping inform the public. Doing your own part! Cool!

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