Quote:
Originally Posted by dmaul1114
Start locking up people putting books, mp3s etc. up to be illegally downloaded, vs. having absurdly huge lawsuit settlements that will never be collected on and maybe you'll make more people think twice before throwing the latest best seller up on a torrent. I really see it as no different than stealing a hundred copies of a physical book and selling them or giving them away. Either way you're taking sales away from the publisher and author.
|
Of course. You can also threaten to cut off their dominant hands, or hang them on a repeat offense. You could even start stoning women again for adultery.
All of this is quite possible, and the Lord knows draconian laws work well (see the War on Drugs, Prohibition). The only problem is that the US claims to be different from countries like Saudi Arabia where corporal and excessive punishment for minor infractions is still the norm.