Really a fair rate would be double what the normal cost would be, so if the song cost $0.99 then they should charge $1.98 for the fine. Plain and simple tactics like what they charge only hurts the US economy more and actually will make the person want to do it more. If the world doesn’t want you to do it, then people are going to do it. If they want to solve piracy then encourage it. I saw a report on smoking a few years back when they were banning it in a lot of places, and they discovered that smoking increased in usage not the other way around. If government doesn’t want you to do it, then people will do what they don’t want you too. Reverse-psychology really does work well, i use it all the time!
And another way to stop, well really minimize it (You will never stop it) they should start listening to there customers on what they want and give it to them. The consumer is the one who is paying for the items. People will not spend there hard earned money on something they don’t want. If people want hot pink cd’s and this will cause them to buy them, well then making them freaking pink, that is basic business.
You need to find the middle man, you have to find what the majority want and provide that, This has been Apple Computers No. 1 reason why they were not in Microsoft’s place. Apple didn’t want to give people what they wanted, they catered to the lower percentage of people and what they wanted. People complain about the iPod, but if it was so bad then people wouldn’t buy it. And you are not forced to use the ipod to play downloads, there are other venders and I have seen plenty of DRM removal software. People are happy with the ipod so they buy it, if they weren’t then the ipod would not be no one. DVD-Audio would have made it if they got rid of the DRM OR added music files for there portables. I see DVD’s being sold with a digital file for your portables. This is great, and they do have DRM however they have it in multiple file formats that should work on just about everyone’s portable video players. They are catching on to what people want. And if you don’t want the DRM then rip the dvd and convert it yours self like people have been doing. And since they majority of people have iPods the digital video files people will find satisfying since they can play it.
I have a friend who’s roommate wanted high speed internet very badly, and they did NEED it since computers is there job. So they called the cable company almost everyday literally (No Joke!) now they lived in a rural area so getting cable is like telling Bush to be a good boy. Well the cable company got so annoyed with the calls (They had neighbors call too since they wanted the same or at least tv) that they actually installed the lines and the people got cable tv/internet. So you can make a difference if you band together and annoy the pi$$ out of them.
Thanks for reading 
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