A man who ran a business altering computer games consoles so they could play pirated software faces a year in jail – unless he hands over more than £21,000.
Thomas Norwood's company, Modchip Filters of Coalville, altered the circuitry of Wiis and X-Box consoles so they could play illegally-copied software.
In January, he pleaded guilty at Leicester Crown Court to 17 charges of bypassing copy-protection technology, following an operation by Leicestershire County Council Trading Standards.
The court was told his company had become so successful that he had to move the operation from his home in Forest Road, Coalville, to a unit in Whitwick Business Park.
At a court hearing to determine whether his stock and assets should be seized, a judge ruled he should pay £21,360.
The money accounts for all his assets, including his share of his house. If he does not pay within six months, he faces 12 months imprisonment.
The court determined that Norwood had benefited from his crimes, to the value of £789,160.
If he comes into any money in the future, he will have to repay the remaining £767,800.
Leicestershire County Council's head of trading standards, David Bull, said: "The court has sent a strong message – crime doesn't pay and may actually cost you everything you own.
"His customers risked having worthless consoles, as the manufacturers can send a signal to 'kill off' devices that have been altered."