Eric Takabayashi wrote:

> Kevin Wayne Williams wrote:
> 
> 
>>>The entertainment companies are being harsh to make examples of people.
>>
>>Which was the point I tripped over my own feet trying to make the last
>>time this topic came up. We don't treat most copyright infringement as a
>>criminal offense, which puts the entertainment industry in a really
>>nasty position. With shoplifting, the police at least pretend to care,
>>and will run the kid through the police station and try frighten him out
>>of repeating it. With major theft of physical goods, they will undertake
>>criminal prosecution, which makes winning the later civil case for
>>damages much easier. With file swapping, you get kids "infringing" a
>>half-million dollars in music, and nothing happening to them unless the
>>entertainment industry sues. With physical goods, little Johnny would be
>>on the rock-pile, and mom and dad would be locked up as accessories. We
>>have placed the burden of law-enforcement on private companies, who have
>>to finance the investigation and prosecution on their own behalf, and
>>then wonder why they act so ruthlessly. We haven't given them much of a
>>choice. The police aren't able to act, the criminal courts aren't able
>>to act, the legislatures won't pass corrective legislation to equate
>>copyright infringment with theft.
> 
> 
> So what was that old news story?
> 
> http://tinyurl.com/7xx2b

I'll have to research the actual text of the law ... it would make me
very happy if the Congress legally equated copyright infringement with
theft.
KWW