14 DAY TRIAL // In a case similar to the one of the now-infamous Richard O’Dwyer, a Newcastle court has appointed Anton Vickerman, the owner of the surfthechannel.com website, as being guilty of conspiracy to defraud.
According to The Guardian, Vickerman’s site has recorded around 400,000 visitors each day, compared to O’Dwyer’s which had only around 300,000 per month.
The revenue made in this case is also much bigger since Vickerman earned in four months what the Sheffield student made in three years.
However, the prosecution’s decision not to accuse him of copyright-related offences, might be good news for O’Dwyer, who currently faces extradition to the US.
In the meantime, Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia launched a petition to stop the extradition.
“Given the thin case against him, it is an outrage that he is being extradited to the US to face felony charges. No US citizen has ever been brought to the UK for alleged criminal activity on US soil,” Wales said.