A student fined $500 for illegally downloading a television series on his University Wi-Fi network says he plans to continue pirating entertainment.

The anonymous 27-year-old graduate from the University of NSW, who chose to remain anonymous, spoke out after the University has vowed to issue $1000 fine to anyone breaching their rules of acceptable internet usage .

The graduate received a fine in his email Inbox within one hour of downloading Comedy Central’s The Daily Show in 2011, reports Sydney Morning Herald.

Unversity of NSW have announced they are issuing $1000 fines to anyone breaching their rules of acceptable internet usage

Anti-piracy groups have questioned the principles of the Universities fines, since the profits are used for student amenities, rather than going to the right holders

‘At the time I was angry – being a student a $480 fine was something I didn’t need,’ the student said.

‘But in truth torrents are illegal. UNSW Wi-Fi isn’t meant for torrenting. So as much as I didn’t like it, the university were well within their rights to fine me and any other students.’

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The 27-year-old said that although the series is now available legally on subscription TV, he was not planning watch it through this method.

‘The only thing that would ever stop me is if my home ISP – Optus or Telstra or whoever – fined me sufficiently.’ 

There has been a string of UNSW students and staff fined in recent years for breaching the Universities acceptable internet use policy.

The 27-year-old UNSW student said ‘The only thing that would ever stop me (from pirating) is if my home ISP – Optus or Telstra or whoever – fined me sufficiently’

Anti-piracy groups such as Electronic Frontiers Australia have questioned the principles of the Universities fines, since the profits are used for student amenities, rather than going to the right holders.

Michael Kirby-Lewis, UNSW’s chief information officer, unblock extratorrent list said the use of funds towards student amenities ensures the university will not look at the fines as a source of revenue.

Downloading is not a fine in Australia, however offenders can be sued large sums by own the content.

This month, new legislation was brought into parliament that allows telecommunications companies to provide customer data to rights holders, in a bid hunt down Australians who are alleged to have breached piracy laws.