Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveEisenberg
I should emphasize that neither piracy nor shoplifting are major offenses.
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Not according to the law. Shoplifting is petty theft, with a penalty of up to a few hundred dollars, depending on jurisdiction. Piracy is either copyright infringement or DMCA violation (same illegality; different category of penalties) with a penalty of up to $500,000 and 5 years in prison per willful breach of law.
If it's not a "major offense," why is the penalty higher than that for Grand Theft Auto? Higher than the penalties for assault and battery? Barely shorter than the maximum prison time for rape--and with a much larger fine than is allowed for rapes?
This is one of the reasons people don't take the law seriously. When you use a shotgun to go after mosquitoes, people wind up rooting for the mosquitoes. "Copyright law reform" needs to start with adjusting the penalties to fit the severity of the offenses.