[yahoo] Music industry 'nails UK pirates'

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the legal and financial implications of illegal music sharing in the UK, particularly focusing on the penalties imposed on individuals caught sharing songs online. Participants explore the rationale behind these penalties and the broader impact on behavior regarding music piracy.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested, Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express concern that individuals are penalized with payments exceeding the actual damages caused by their actions.
  • Others argue that the legal framework incentivizes piracy if the cost of being caught is lower than the potential penalties, suggesting a rational choice model based on risk assessment.
  • A participant notes that the financial consequences of downloading even a single song illegally can lead to disproportionately high penalties compared to the actual cost of the song.
  • There is mention of court costs potentially influencing the overall financial burden on individuals caught sharing music illegally.
  • Some participants question whether any individuals involved in these cases have faced jail time, with others suggesting that such outcomes would not be surprising.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the fairness and effectiveness of the penalties for illegal music sharing, with no consensus reached on the appropriateness of the current legal framework.

Contextual Notes

The discussion reflects varying assumptions about risk, legal consequences, and the economic rationale behind music piracy, with no resolution on the implications of these factors.

Greg Bernhardt
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More than 20 UK internet users pay a total of £50,000 out of court for illegally sharing songs on the web.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/click/rss/0.91/public/-/1/hi/entertainment/music/4318765.stm"
 
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It just doesn't make sense that people are forced to pay more money than the damages that they caused. But I think the RIAA is going to stop suing people.
 
RiseAgainst said:
It just doesn't make sense that people are forced to pay more money than the damages that they caused.

Now I hate the RIAA as much as anyone, but I have to disagree. If the probability of being caught is less than 100%, and the worst-case payment is equal to the total price of the products taken, then taking products is always the dominant strategy vs. buying. If the worst-case payment is twice as much, taking products is only rational if the probability of being caught is less than 0.5 (assuming risk neutrality). Extrapolate as needed.
 
CRGreathouse said:
Now I hate the RIAA as much as anyone, but I have to disagree. If the probability of being caught is less than 100%, and the worst-case payment is equal to the total price of the products taken, then taking products is always the dominant strategy vs. buying. If the worst-case payment is twice as much, taking products is only rational if the probability of being caught is less than 0.5 (assuming risk neutrality). Extrapolate as needed.

But if you download one song illegally that costs $.99 on some website you could still be sued for thousands of dollars when you really stole something that costs $.99.
 
true but there is also court costs and then 99.9999% of the time people don't stop at downloading one song
 
I wonder if anyone got jail time for this.
 
I wouldn't be surprised if they did
 

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