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A court in Shanghai has sentenced two U.S. citizens to jail terms of up to 2 1/2 years in prison for selling pirated DVDs online in a case China has used to highlight the difficulties of enforcing anti-piracy laws.




Shanghai No. 2 District Court judge Xue Zheng ordered Randolph Hobson Guthrie, 38, to serve a two-year, six-month jail sentence and pay a $60,500 fine for selling pirated DVDs. Fellow American Abram Cody Thrush, convicted as an accessory, was sentenced to one year in prison and fined $1,200.


A charge of illegally operating a business was dismissed.


The four people on trial were accused of using the Internet to sell more than 180,000 counterfeit DVDs to buyers in 25 countries. Officials said about 20,000 of the DVDs were sold to American buyers.


Xue said the Guthrie and Thrush could appeal, but there was no immediate word on whether they would.


Information on the Americans' hometowns was not available.


Both men were ordered to be deported after serving their sentences.


Two Chinese men were also convicted of aiding Guthrie's business selling pirated DVDs online.


Wu Dong was ordered to pay a fine of $3,600. Wu Shibiao was ordered to serve a jail term of one year and three months and to pay a fine of $1,200.


U.S. Consulate officials attended the court session, but had no comment.


Guthrie was living in Shanghai at the time of his arrest last summer. Police said they found 119,000 pirated DVDs at his home and at a rented warehouse. They also referred to evidence from invoices and bank transfers. U.S. law enforcement officials were also involved in the case.


China has stepped up enforcement of laws against rampant bootlegging of DVDs, CDs and other intellectual property.