Ahh you're obviously one of those ignorant American types. Down here in Australia an average CD will set you back around $25-30. I tend to be pretty indifferent about the whole downloading thing. I mean yeah the artists are getting cheated. But essentially if they wanted something done about it, it really should be them taking the civil action. After all it is a civil wrong against the artist and not the RIAA. Having said that, I can see that artists want a larger stronger organisation, similar to a workers union to fight for them. The RIAA must be fully aware that they have no hope of eliminating piracy. This is evident by who they choose to take action against. In picking on those who are young or are incapable of posing an adequate defence, they are attempting to scare other users in quitting. They are trying to limit the impact of an inevitable practice. For those who say 'I can't get sued as it isn't against the law. Now watch me be a little [cabbage] and download in spite.' Watch yourselves. You might not have the RIAA in your country, and therefore they don't have the power to do much about it, but there is bound to be a similar sort of organisation where you are. The most frustrating part of this opinion in my eyes is that those who hold it have no comprehension of what civil action is. You don't have to have committed a crime to be sued. It is a wrong against another person or party that has caused damage. The burden of proof (at least over here) is on the balance of probabilities, not beyond reasonable doubt. They are two completely different systems. Finally I have something to say to the 14 year olds who think they have seen it all in this life. 'Hehehehehe I have hide IP platinum, they won't find me in Afghanistan!!! I iz uber 1337zorz!' Sit down, shut up and stop downloading. You are a fool. Let me put your idea here into perspective. I am in senior year and I am in the top 5 people in my physics class. Does that mean I am going to go and tell Stephen Hawking he is wrong and I am right about physics? No, hell no, I am not a tool. So now think about you and your IP hider. The RIAA who obviously know a thing or two about tech and have a fair few resources, are more than likely going to have someone smarter than the bloke who wrote that program. And I dare say that the guy working for the RIAA knows what your real IP is. Oh and if you are going to post here. Perhaps you could use a bit of punctuation, sentence structure and punctuation. You have something to say, make sure we can understand what it is.