MONTREAL — A Canadian man who drew international attention as a prolific producer of illegally copied movies was slapped with a two-and-a-half-month jail sentence Tuesday.
His involvement in piracy was so pervasive that, since his arrest, illegal uploads from Canada are said to have nosedived.
In a landmark decision, Geremi Adam will also be forced to perform 100 hours of community service, and has been given a two-year suspended sentence with a number of conditions.
Prosecutors heralded it as the first time someone has received a jail term in Canada for such a crime.
“I think it’s a strong message that if you try to do what Mr. Adam did, you’ll face the consequences of that and you’ll go to jail,” said Crown prosecutor Josee Belanger.
Belanger said the Adam sentence, handed down by Quebec court Judge Suzanne Coupal, appears to be Canada’s toughest ever for camcording.
In two previous movie piracy cases, one in Montreal and one in Calgary, the accused were handed fines or probationary sentences. They were also both banned from movie theatres for a period of time.
Among the conditions placed on Adam, he is also banned from going to the movies or carrying recording equipment outside his home or place of work.
The 27-year-old was labelled in 2006 by the FBI to be among the most prolific movie pirates in North America — and one of the best at producing high-quality products.
He pleaded guilty to two counts, under the Copyright Act, for distributing copies of the Hollywood films Invincible and How to Eat Fried Worms on the Internet under the alias maVen in 2006.
He was nabbed again in 2008 while recording the movie Street Kings at another movie theatre, and was charged a third time, this time under the Criminal Code.