An Australian based company sold ereaders with nearly 4,000 pirated ebooks loaded on them.
This reminds me of the time when Margaret Westerman sold a safe containing millions in Spanish Gold at the Annual Banned Library Charity Auction and Anti-Snake Rally. At the time, Ms. Westerman thought her grandfather's old safe contained nothing but sand the man collected during his naval career. When Mark Spencer, local 12-year-old winner of the Bannville Talent Show and Speed Dating, won the safe for $15 dollars and two rattlesnake-skins, he thought he had a wonderful prop for his one man show, "I'm Safe With You."
Both were shocked to discover the Spanish Gold after the safe was openned by the Bannville Fire Department and Hunt Club. A small fight and legal battle occured right there in the library over rights to the safe and its contents, settled by Judge Ford Oldman. Oldman gave the safe to Spencer, as that was the item he bid on, as well as half the gold. He gave a forth of the gold to Ms. Westerman, as she had technically given up her rights to the contents but it seemed messed up not to give her something to remind of her father. He took the rest for court fees.
E-book deal's the steal of the century; 4000 pirated books - Maroondah Weekly