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[JohnSnow]

I said it there and I'll say it here. It doesn't matter whether it equates to lost sales or not.

Distributing content from a work you don't own the rights to is copyright infringement. And it's illegal.

Acquiring a copy of something illegally is equivalent under the law to buying stolen property or even actually stealing. It's exactly the same as people who steal, for example, cable television.

I own a cable company. We have to deal with signal theft all the time. And we've learned the fix. Scott Rouse, if you're listening, pay attention:

Go after the perpetrators. Yes, that means everyone who obtains an illegal copy. Prosecute them. Start with the people who brag about it on internet message boards. Stop worrying about alienating your customers, because people stealing your product are not your customers.

Get the names of the distributors, and go after them too. Make them financially liable for reimbursing the company for every single copy they illegally distributed, or just set a reasonable minimum estimate of, say, 1000 copies.

Would people still do this if they faced a potential $40,000 fine? I doubt it. Heck, I doubt most people would risk it if the fine was a measily $4,000.

Would anyone be on the high moral crusade for free information if there were actually consequences for their actions? I seriously doubt it. However, if anyone kept going, I'd actually respect them.

Civil disobedience is only truly civil disobedience if you're willing to suffer the repercussions of it.