If you're convicted of a misdemeanor for pirating movies, the penalties are quite severe. You could end up serving a year in prison for the infraction. The law also says the convicted person will pay a fine of up to $100,000 or two times the financial gain or loss.
A felony conviction is much more serious than a misdemeanor. Even a first-time offender could get a maximum sentence of five years' imprisonment. There's also a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the financial gain or loss.
For those who did not learn the first time, the penalty gets worse. A repeat offender will still face the same fine of $250,000 or twice the financial gain or loss. But the prison sentence could double.