said by entitygm: They aren't the only ones, the music industry tried this for a long time. They STILL seem to think it's good business practice to sue your fans for punitive damages...
I think the biggest problem is they have tremendous capital invested in an outdated delivery mechanism (be it dvd, cd, vhs, or whatever else has been replaced) and don't want to invest more in new tech to keep pace, so they sue to prevent it. It's like trying to stop the sun from setting (actually more like trying to un-invent the atomic bomb) but they still try it.
Some are learning - look what happened with online music distribution. Someone finally took the initiative and it exploded. Sure, music piracy still happens, but if you provide a reasonably priced and unambiguously legal means of obtaining something via the newest available technology, the positive PR offsets the losses from outdated technology, if they play it right.
Fighting piracy always made me think how silly it would be if a newspaper went around town policing offices and suing anyone who read a paper purchased by someone else. Granted, newspapers are dying off (another outdated distribution model) but would they be any better if they were suing people for 'sharing'? At least people don't think of the local paper with disdain the way many view the RIAA, and some are seeing some success with online models
how much doe sit cost:
