• by March 9, 2005

Now here's a sign that the authorities are getting serious about cracking down on illegal music downloads. The other day, Parvin Dhaliwal, a University of Arizona student pleaded guilty to possession of counterfeit marks, or unauthorized copies of intellectual property. The FBI discovered more than $50 million in music and movies on Dhaliwal's computer.

The illegally copied property spanned the gamut from "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," and "Matrix Revolutions," to "The Cat in the Hat," and "Mona Lisa Smile." Talk about variety. A federal task force that monitors the Web got wind of the situation and secured a warrant for Dhaliwal's arrest.

Dhaliwal may be the first person in the United States to be convicted of a crime under state laws pertaining to illegal downloads of music and movies from the Internet. Last month, he was sentenced to a three-month deferred jail sentence, three years of probation, 200 hours of community service, and a $5,400 fine. And get this: The judge in the case ordered Dhaliwal to take a copyright class at the university. He's also ordered to avoid file-sharing computer programs.

Interestingly, since Dhaliwal was a minor (just 17-years-old) when he allegedly conducted the illegal downloads, he was able to avoid a federal court sentence of three months in jail at the get go. Still, prosecutors charged him as an adult but kept the case in state court, giving him a deferred sentence. The Minute wonders whether he was planning to sell the content.

Next time you think a kid doesn't know what he or she is doing, think again.