The Double-Dip Mentality

[kandrathe]

For those using threaded view: I'm replying here merely as an alternative to starting a new thread.  My reply is not aimed directly at anyone.  I just found this article which made me a little bug-eyed.

Link.  Only important points:  7 people plead guilty to copying Star Wars Episode III before its release.  They now "face a maximum penalty of a $100,000 (£56,000) fine and one year in jail when sentenced.  $100,000?  Is that just slightly ridiculous to anyone else?  Why are the penalties for illegal copy so much worse than the penalties for phsically stealing a movie?  Those numbers are just plain obscene.  There is no reason for such ridiculous punishments.

"Revenge of the Sith went on to take $848.5m (£474.6m) at the global box office." 

gekko
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I'll reserve comment until they are actually sentenced on April 12th. The guy who uploaded it to the internet and the original thief will probably get the book thrown at them, but the friends might get lesser sentences. See also DOJ IP cases.

Edit: I was out at a local eatery last night where the stereotypical ugly American loud mouth at the table next to us was bragging to his friends about his extensive pirated DVD collection. The whole place could not help but hear his bellowing, but such is the world we live in today. We ended up ordering small, eating quickly and retiring to a place better for the digestion (and hearing loss prevention).