Arrrrr-I-A-A

Just when you thought the music industry couldn't get any more anal:

Music Piracy Crackdown Nets College Kids

From the article:

At first, Sarah Barg thought the e-mail was a scam. Some group called the Recording Industry Association of America was accusing the University of Nebraska-Lincoln sophomore of illegally downloading 381 songs using the school's computer network and a program called Ares.

The letter said she might be sued but offered her the chance to settle out of court.

Barg couldn't imagine anyone expected her to pay $3,000 - $7.87 per song - for some 1980s ballads and Spice Girls tunes she downloaded for laughs in her dorm room. Besides, the 20-year-old had friends who had downloaded thousands of songs without repercussion.

"Obviously I knew it was illegal, but no one got in trouble for it," Barg said.

Three thousand dollars? Are you serious? I don't think I've spent that much money on CDs in the last five years!

But wait, it gets better:

At least 500 university students nationwide have paid settlements to avoid being sued, Engebretsen said. Students who don't take the offer face lawsuits - and minimum damages of $750 for each copyrighted recording shared if they lose.

$750 for a Spice Girls song? You heartless monsters!

I'm half tempted to engage in a little Internet music piracy myself, just as a form of civil disobedience. But as it turns out, I've got about a hundred other things I'd rather do with three grand at the moment....