The one question I've asked myself and others over the years is whether theft/piracy would exist if the upper crust wasn't so damned greedy The problem as I see it is that corporations set prices based on what they think the market can bear, rather than setting an affordable price that allows greater consumption... and the problem with that is that many at the lower end of the socio-economic scale cannot afford what the upper echelon thinks the market can bear, hence they resort to stealing to make their meagre ends meet. Is it right? No, but is it any more right than the 'legalised' stealing which exists in the form of corporate greed and excessive profit margins?
You ask whether robbery would exist? Yes, unless there were no laws defining it as a crime. For some, there is no 'affordable price'. This does not justify taking what isn't yours. As for "what is the proper price?", what should there be, a committee to set prices? That has been proven not to be viable. The free market enforces competition, unless unfair practices prevent it. Those can be dealt with. Is there a perfect solution? No. But I'd rather have companies competing than a dictator telling me what's fair. Far too many abuses that way.
This is just the first step in the march to TOTAL government control of the internet. What's next? The ISPs having to monitor and report every website I visit, how long I'm there, and how often?
Be assured, should they try to enact that, I'll be among the rebels. To some extent, though, that already exists thanks to the Patriot Act. I like the necessity which forced that less than the the situation which requires it. The truism of "Those who would trade freedom for security soon have neither." is true to a certain extent: Those who are dead also have neither. It's a very unpleasant world, isn't it? Perhaps people can find a more civilized way to act, but odds are against it - at least in the short term.
Imagine if the only reliable service in your hometown is provided by a single ISP (as is the case in my town) and that your business requires regular large data transfers in real time (as does mine). Basically, if they have a 'glitch" in my case, they have a right to shut down my business--possibly with no legal punitive options for me--and all I can do is pony up $35 and hope they note the mistake because it's inherently assumed by them that their business rights are more important than mine.
There are recourses which I outlined above. I agree with you, in essence. There probably is a solution in your case and I'd encourage you to talk with the people in your ISP to prevent problems actively rather than wait for them to happen and try to play 'catch up'.
That's right, the intimidation tactics failed to secure payments, and just as those failed, so will this ISP policing fail.
These probably won't fail, because they are being enacted with the people who have a hand on the switch. I don't favor intimidation, I'd rather see 'education' and civilized negotiation.... but really, do you see that working with a person hell bent on taking something for free? I don't.
No single entity should ever be judge, jury and executioner
Again, there are appeal procedures. I wish the pirates - hell, thieves, and their criminal empires didn't make this necessary, but they have. Look, if something was taken from you by force, which you were willing to sell, wouldn't you try to catch the thieves to prevent them gaining from a criminal act? Of course you would.
What's good for the goose (at least in this case) is good for the gander. Will there be problems? Absolutely. Will they get solved? Probably yes in the vast majority. Will it be 100%? No, what is?
That does not justify "Then do nothing." Because the companies and people who invest to produce things have evry right to expect lawful behavior. Why not set up cooperatives to bargain for pricing? There are many alternatives to theft.
"Not perfect" is an understatement. It is at best futile and at worst (which is more likely) it will hurt the innocent. The best techonology for this kind of matching is used in Anti-virus software to identifiy threats. However for this use the range of methods to defeat it is far greater as viruses must still be able to prefore their function, files containing pirated content do not need to be usable until after they are downloaded.
And the recievers do not need to be very skilled, the work to evade detection comes from the distributing end.
Not sure what you mean in your last sentence. Seems to me that they'll be detected and that's fine. Their activity and usage statistics along with an ip address should be enough to nab them.
Perhaps an alternative solution to this would be branding the software in some unique way with several alternative "call home" features in them which can't be disabled nor prevented and still have the software work.
Don't know if that's possible, but it would be a good start. Doubt I'm the first to think of it, though.