Gilberto Sanchez has been sentenced to one year in federal prison for uploading an unfinished version of the X-Men Origins: Wolverine film to his Megaupload account. The film was subsequently shared across the internet resulting in millions of infringements according to prosecutors. Nevertheless, the 20th Century Fox flick ended up grossing $373 million worldwide.

In March, Sanchez pleaded guilty to one count of uploading a copyrighted work being prepared for commercial distribution. However, he claims that he bought the movie on a Bronx street corner near his home but the original source of the workprint was never identified. US attorney Andre Birotte Jr. had this to say in response to the ruling:

"The federal prison sentence handed down in this case sends a strong message of deterrence to would-be Internet pirates. The Justice Department will pursue and prosecute persons who seek to steal the intellectual property of this nation."

And with SOPA looming, you might not even have to commit a crime to be punished.