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Bauman (1994, p. 5D) talks about how Internet pirate rings are responsible for "stealing software that has become highly sophisticated and hotly competitive." These pirates pursue this not for the money, but simply for the thrill. Bauman says that not all pirates are the "nerdy teenage misfits," but a "cross-section of computer enthusiasts looking for dangerous fun."
A Los Angeles Times investigation into Internet piracy located "20 major groups varying between 20 to 100 members with names, such as Razor 1911, Tristar Red Sector Inc., Pirates With Attitude Revolutionizing International Piracy, Legend, Malice and Anti Lamers Foundation" (Bauman, 1994, p. 5D).
The United States government was brought into the antipiracy effort when Massachusetts Institute of Technology officials in 1993 "reported that one of the students—a 20-year-old junior named David LaMacchia—appeared to be running a pirate bulletin board on a pair of campus workstations" (Elmer-Dewitt, 1994, p. 63). The government has estimated that users of LaMacchia's bulletin board have downloaded more than $1 million worth of copyrighted programs.
Software pirates also exist in Mexico. Mexico's Office of the Attorney General has turned in to software manufacturers, such as Microsoft, Aldus, Lotus Development Corp., and Novell, pirates they have found who illegally possess their respective software.