Re:Crimes to Consider Before Music Piracy
by three14 on Thursday September 03, 2009 @09:22AM
(#802380)
His point is that the sum total of all the things they do to you when you do a "serious crime" is less than the sum of the things they do to you if you pirate music. This doesn't seem like a common sense notion of justice. Even if you don't like the details of his treatment of the subject, his basic point stands.
(Of course, it might be rational to deliberately punish music pirates more than murderers, if there's a very low chance of catching a pirate and a good chance of catching a murderer, but this doesn't square with most people's sense of justice.)
> First, let's look at the fines in the only two music piracy trials that have taken place to date.
Damages, not fines. Fines are a punishment, damages are to correct damage done to the "victim". There's a difference and it's important.
> I'm going to equate one year of prison with a $50,233 salary which is the median household income as of 2007.
This is ridiculous. Freedom's price is not the opportunity cost associated with it. He mentions it in passing but brushes it off as something to make light of. Hand-waving the central part of your argument is just dumb.
Of course, there's also the ridiculous fallacy of "what they do is wrong toooooooooo". Didn't work with my mother, doesn't work with me. This article is a waste of time.