http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/n...al-verdict.ars
Personally, I don't think that piracy is right. Not so much because it hurts the lard-assed executives milking their employees for all they are worth but because it hurts the artists, the musicians, the developers, the proletariat - whatever.
At the same time, I think that this trial shows how completely unreasonable the system has become. If a person physically stole some CDs they would never be fined this much. If a person stole the CDs and started handing out bootlegged copies, they wouldn't be fined this much. And yet, just because the theft occurred online it is perfectly legal to give out these staggeringly large penalties. Just because digitals copies were made available, it is perfectly reasonable to ruin this person's life.
Apparently the RIAA has somehow convinced the federal government that it should completely ignore the 8th Amendment when someone steals $24 worth of music.
Bookmarks