OK, my bad, my comment was too glib and unless you're mind-reader, couldn't convey my intent.
On piracy - more accurately copyright infringement of any kind - I'm dead set against it and it's a firing offense at our company. I have zero illegally-copied anything of any kind. As a software developer myself, anything else would just be hypocrisy on my part, in my opinion.
The large segment of people who feel copyright infringement is justified for any reason - well - to me, that's just entitlement-thinking - and kinda scary because of what it suggests.
The hyperbole that is the word piracy - was there a death threat on the high seas? that's piracy - is scary. Issues like copyright infringement are daunting - the existence of copyright and IP lawyers alone proves that - so hyperbole on a daunting subject is kinda scary, too.
The MPAA and RIAA have scary numbers about what part of their income, profits and their industry losses are hitting our economy. Opponents have scary arguments that their numbers are inflated and their tactics are too heavy-handed.
Monopolistic practices are scary.
My understanding (from the Slashdot links) was that the Department of Homeland Security had a hand in all this. I freely admit I stopped reading when I got to whatever their rationale was - because while I can see "piracy" sites being a problem to some segments of the economy (real or asserted) or outright illegal (IANAL) - I just couldn't see where it needed to involve the big brother department that's supposed to save us from terrorism - hence - my sarcastic remark. If someone had said some law enforcement agency, to me, that would have been different.
Anyway - I'm not following the details enough to have a strong opinion and maybe I misread something. If I didn't - it's insane.
~~~~
I think you're thinking of the infamous Sony rootkit debacle:
Sony settles 'rootkit' class action lawsuit - CNET News
I seem to recall that some sort of DRM update in a firmware upgrade bricked PS3 players and you'll find some lawsuit info on that, too, via google (sorry, got bored, didn't read).
I seem to recall the DRM'd CDs would do all sorts of malice to various computers - the idea being that - surely - no one would put a CD in a computer to say, listen at work, no, ahoy matey, there be pirates off the starboard optical drive!
ARRRR!
