Shawn Hogan

Shawn D. Hogan (born September 1, 1975) is the founder and chief executive officer of Digital Point Solutions, a San Diego-based business software provider.

Accused of downloading the motion picture, Meet the Fockers, via the BitTorrent network, he received a call in November 2005 from an MPAA lawyer explaining that he was being sued, and that the MPAA would settle for $2,500.

Hogan maintains his innocence, pointing out that he owns a legitimate copy of the DVD.

The case is unusual in that Hogan, as a millionaire, has been willing to risk the substantial legal fees on this point of principle.

As he told Wired magazine, "They’re completely abusing the system... I would spend well into the millions on this."

He became well known when the article "Shawn Hogan, Hero" appeared in the August 2006 edition of the magazine Wired, detailing his firm stand against a Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) lawsuit.

However, in August 2007, Hogan quietly settled with Universal, and S.D. Cal. case no. CV 06-00545 was dismissed.

In August 2008, eBay filed suit against Hogan, Brian Dunning and his brother Todd Dunning accusing them of defrauding eBay and eBay affiliates in a cookie stuffing scheme.

Hogan was paid over $28 million in affiliate commissions by eBay.

On 24 June 2010, based on the same allegations and following an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), a grand jury indicted Hogan on charges of wire fraud and criminal forfeiture.

as of 2012 Hogan was being prosecuted, and is free on $100,000 bond.

On May 2, 2014, Hogan was sentenced to five months in a Federal prison, a $25,000 fine and three years probation.

Brian Dunning was sentenced to fifteen months in prison and a $100 fine.