Pirates of Prague

Today's news from the anti-piracy front, according to HN, is that a team of police detectives will be created in each region of the country for cracking down on illegal file sharing. Yesterday's news was that 1,700 people are being investigated for sharing films, music and computer programs over peer-to-peer networks. There seems to be a pattern to such reports. Perhaps we've been watching too many DivX downloads, but to our blurry eyes it seems the crackdowns multiply before major shopping seasons or when, say, Microsoft introduces new software. We're in favor of enforcement of intellectual property rights, but why should the software industry have the police at its beck and call? Especially when rumors about corruption in the sale of software to government agencies are flying higher than ever? Before raiding more dorm rooms, detectives should take a close look at what kind of games the software companies are playing with taxpayer money.