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Eric Lundgren, "e-waste" recycling innovator, faces prison for trying to extend life span of PCs
Eric Lundgren, "e-waste" recycling innovator, faces prison for trying to extend life span of PCs
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True Crime
Eric Lundgren, ‘e-waste’ recycling innovator, faces prison for trying to extend life span of PCs
By Tom Jackman February 15 at 5:00 AM
Eric Lundgren is obsessed with recycling electronics. ... He built an electric car out of recycled parts that far outdistanced a Tesla in a test. He launched what he thinks is the first “electronic hybrid recycling” facility in the United States, which turns discarded cellphones and other electronics into functional devices, slowing the stream of harmful chemicals and metals into landfills and the environment. His California-based company processes more than 41 million pounds of e-waste each year and counts IBM, Motorola and Sprint among its clients. ... But an idea Lundgren had to prolong the life of personal computers could land him in prison.
Prosecutors said the 33-year-old ripped off Microsoft by manufacturing 28,000 counterfeit discs with the company’s Windows operating system on them. He was convicted of conspiracy and copyright infringement, which brought a 15-month prison sentence and a $50,000 fine.
In a rare move though, a federal appeals court has granted an emergency stay of the sentence, giving Lundgren another chance to make his argument that the whole thing was a misunderstanding. Lundgren does not deny that he made the discs, or hoped to sell them. But he says this was no profit-making scheme. By his account, he just wanted to make it easier to extend the usefulness of secondhand computers — keeping more of them out of the trash.
The case centers on “restore discs,” which can be used only on computers that already have the licensed Windows software and can be downloaded free from the computer’s manufacturer, in this case Dell. The discs are routinely provided to buyers of new computers to allow them to reinstall their operating systems if the computers’ hardware fails or must be wiped clean. But they often are lost by the time used computers find their way to a refurbisher.
....
Eric Lundgren atop a pile of 48,000 “restore CDs” he purchased recently for less than five cents apiece. He faces prison for seeking to distribute similar CDs to computer refurbishers. (Eric Lundgren)
....
Tom Jackman has been covering criminal justice for The Washington Post since 1998 and anchors the True Crime blog. He previously covered crime and courts for the Kansas City Star. Follow @TomJackmanWP
Eric Lundgren, ‘e-waste’ recycling innovator, faces prison for trying to extend life span of PCs
By Tom Jackman February 15 at 5:00 AM
Eric Lundgren is obsessed with recycling electronics. ... He built an electric car out of recycled parts that far outdistanced a Tesla in a test. He launched what he thinks is the first “electronic hybrid recycling” facility in the United States, which turns discarded cellphones and other electronics into functional devices, slowing the stream of harmful chemicals and metals into landfills and the environment. His California-based company processes more than 41 million pounds of e-waste each year and counts IBM, Motorola and Sprint among its clients. ... But an idea Lundgren had to prolong the life of personal computers could land him in prison.
Prosecutors said the 33-year-old ripped off Microsoft by manufacturing 28,000 counterfeit discs with the company’s Windows operating system on them. He was convicted of conspiracy and copyright infringement, which brought a 15-month prison sentence and a $50,000 fine.
In a rare move though, a federal appeals court has granted an emergency stay of the sentence, giving Lundgren another chance to make his argument that the whole thing was a misunderstanding. Lundgren does not deny that he made the discs, or hoped to sell them. But he says this was no profit-making scheme. By his account, he just wanted to make it easier to extend the usefulness of secondhand computers — keeping more of them out of the trash.
The case centers on “restore discs,” which can be used only on computers that already have the licensed Windows software and can be downloaded free from the computer’s manufacturer, in this case Dell. The discs are routinely provided to buyers of new computers to allow them to reinstall their operating systems if the computers’ hardware fails or must be wiped clean. But they often are lost by the time used computers find their way to a refurbisher.
....
Eric Lundgren atop a pile of 48,000 “restore CDs” he purchased recently for less than five cents apiece. He faces prison for seeking to distribute similar CDs to computer refurbishers. (Eric Lundgren)
....
Tom Jackman has been covering criminal justice for The Washington Post since 1998 and anchors the True Crime blog. He previously covered crime and courts for the Kansas City Star. Follow @TomJackmanWP
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