A Bristol, UK man has been sentenced to 15 months in prison and must pay a £12,000 fine after being sentenced on 23 different charges related to pirated video games, films, music and pornography.

Gary Boulter, 59, violated the 1994 Trade Marks Act and the 1985 Video Recordings Act. During a raid of his home that took place in December 2005, police found 2,300 copied discs of Sony PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Xbox video games

Boulter came under police suspicion after an anonymous tipster called and said they believed he had a "copying factory" in his home. Once inside, the authorities discovered at least one room that was designed specifically for software duplication, which is where the 2,300 copied discs were found.

“I congratulate South Gloucestershire Trading Standards and local Police for successfully shutting down Gary Boulter’s criminal operation," said Michael Rawlinson, ELPSA managing director. "ELSPA would like to thank the efforts of everyone concerned in their attempts to protect legitimate local traders and remove illegal products from the marketplace.”

Although he tried to claim he copied the discs for friends and family and gave the software away, police had evidence that he was running an underground for profit business out of his home.

On top of the £12,000 in prosecution costs, he'll have to pay an additional 10,500 GBP based on the estimate of money he made by selling the pirated software. He has six months to scrounge together the cash, or he'll have an additional nine months added to his 15-month prison sentence.

A conviction under the Trade Marks Act could lead to an unlimited fine and/or a 10-year maximum prison sentence.