I just don't like the idea of making a sacrificial lamb out of this kid or opening up a "spam-litigation industry" where the lawyers will be the big winners.

The "shoplifting" analogy doesn't really hold up. The Internet is a new frontier, different than anything ever dealt with - bringing the retailer and his product (Intellectual property) into everyone's home.

BTW, if I purchase a hard copy book, I can legally pass that on to a friend(s) to enjoy for free. Maybe another poor analogy?

Short of taxing the Internet servers (and the extra costs handed down to the users), I don't have any answers. Though we all know the corruption involved in distributing tax dollars.

John