It may be one of the more rare occasions where US copyright laws is being used in such a way that file-sharers would overwhelmingly rejoice over, but according to the Associated Press, it has actually happened.

The story details the Department of Justice detailing the activities of a Texan man named Dunaway who operated about 40 websites and sold warez to unsuspecting victims. He used advertising through major search engines to promote his sites and made off with hundreds of thousands of dollars. His operation was in existence since about 2004 all the way up to last year.

People who sell warez online end up earning the scorn of file-sharers everywhere since they blatantly break a sort of unwritten code that you don’t sell warez. Now, a sense of justice might be felt for some as he is forced to pay $810,000 in damages. The fine will be paid in part through a Ferrari and a Rolex watch he bought as a result of the booming business he had.

Still, it’s not often that people who do sell warez online who don’t reside in Asia somewhere get caught and have their stories plastered around – in fact, it has been the exception, not the rule. With that in mind, it almost seems that people who sell warez in the first place wind up in a strangely safe position. Hated by file-sharers, practically ignored by copyright holders in comparison to the massive lawsuit campaign against file-sharers who don’t make money online. An observer might point out that fewer people are actually selling warez online and more people are actively file-sharing. It’s perhaps why copyright holders are seemingly less concerned over people they probably should go after for copyright infringement.

Still, with this conviction, that means 1 down, several thousand more to go.

David Chen Pui, 27, of Fountain Valley, California, was sentenced to 12 months in prison for distributing pirated works from his own and other Web sites, and David Lee Pruett, 35, of Auburn, Washington, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for his involvement in the software release group Legends Never Die or LND, the DOJ said.

Pui and Pruett each pled guilty to a single felony count of conspiracy to commit copyright infringement. U.S. District Judge Graham Mullen of the Western District of North Carolina sentenced Pui on Tuesday and Pruett on Wednesday.

The sentencing of Pui and Pruett follows the recent sentencing of Franklin Edward Littel and Shawn Laemmrich in U.S. district courts in Indianapolis and Marquette, Michigan. Both Littel and Laemmrich were sentenced to eight months in prison to be followed by eight months of home confinement.