I am totally against downloading songs illegally, but i do think that the punishment should fit the crime, and for a song that was not redistributed i think even $2000/song seems extremely high. I would like to see clearer bounds and reasonable and specific penalties defined that are actually in-forced.

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Good thing someone who wasn't a total lunatic did a more correct judgment. Although i still consider it to be very harsh, 2 million dollars was insane... no... i consider it to be extremely insane and stupid.

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I agree. The ultra high penalties are IMO also a less effective deterrent. When you see them you can do nothing but get flabbergasted. Something in the thousands or tens of thousands makes you feel more like "okay, maybe I'd rather not try that", because it's at least comprehensible.

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I think it's more than a little amusing that these fines are far more harsh than those in comparison that are much more life threatening due to rule breaking.

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Personally, I think all they should charge for illegal downloads is the actual price of the product. I'm not sure what the actual "LAWS" are on downloading content from the internet, but it's its not exactly like going to a store and stealing the hard copy. We are sharing digital data, not a CD. And 24 songs for 2M??? these guys are insane, I'm glad they dropped the charge, but 54K is still alot to pay.

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Its unbelievable that we have people getting 3rd and 4th DUI charges and still getting off easy, and this woman can get fined 54k for 24 songs. Absolute insanity.

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It's absolutely ludicrous to impose such a harsh penalty on someone for downloading music while people who endanger others' lives by texting or talking on a cellphone while driving go unpunished, or face a mere $50 fine where it's illegal. This country has it's priorities so screwed up, it's pathetic.

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