Lin Zhenshi, accused of violating intellectual property rights by illegally replicating foreign video discs, including the hot US TV show Desperate Housewives, was sentenced to nine years in prison and a fine of 600,000 yuan ($89,219), the Legal Evening News reported Tuesday.

Lin, former head of a software company in Beijing, was found responsible for pirating more than 1 million foreign video discs in 2010. Xu Aijiao, department manager at the company, was sentenced to five years in 2010, while Lin was at large then, according to the report.

The report said Lin was caught in November 2011 in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province. Lin's family said his penalty was "too heavy".