Three employees of a Melville information technology company have pleaded guilty to criminal copyright infringement.
Michael Calabria, Joseph Keegan and Casey Silver of Constructure Technologies LLC installed unlicensed versions of software by using “cracking” programs to activiate copies of software without paying for it, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District said Thursday.
In addition to the guilty pleas, Constructure itself is charged with a felony violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) and agreed to pay a $60,000 fine.
The fine is part of a deferred prosecution agreement that Constructure has entered into with the United States Attorney’s Office. The relevant portion of the DMCA prohibits the criminal circumvention of copyright protection systems, including encryption systems.
The three pleaded guilty in Central Islip federal court.
According to court filings, Constructure provided information technology services, helping install, manage and service various networks and other technology products for small and medium sized businesses. Calabria was Constructure’s president, Keegan was the chief technology officer, and Silver was a project manager.
When sentenced, each defendant faces up to one year in prison and a fine.