Should students be sent emails threatening lawsuits of they don't settle out of court?

I know they did wrong, but this seems a bit rediculous to me. What do you think?

http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/4361015...
Answer:
This is a common approach to getting there money. Students should be more aware of what can happen when you steal. I read the article and the girl admitted she know it was illegal.
I agree they should do whatever it takes to stop people from stealing.
Sorry, I disagree with you.

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They shoud be very grateful for the settlement offer. If they were sued, they could owe $100,000+. Taking a menial sum of $3,000 is a gift from the RIAA.

To truely combat piracy, the RIAA needs to get more tough. This will discourage file sharing.

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No.
/sarcasm
They should be rousted from their dorm rooms in the middle of the night and taken to the pokey; tied to an oxcart and flogged to the city gates and there held in stocks for their mortification and the amusement of their elders.
sarcasm%26#92;

Look, the kids knew what they were doing was illegal. Maybe they did not realize that they were looking at penalties far beyond their ability to absorb. But that does not change the situation.

Piracy is costing the American software and entertainment industry billions of dollars every year...money that could help pay other peoples' college tuitions....pay taxes and bring down everyone's tax bills...and continue to funnel value to the artists and industrialists who make the music and movies and software available to those who use and appreciate them.

Enforcing the intellectual property rights of those who create the art is important to restore America to its former position of importance in the world. So it's not ridiculous.

Hey, at some colleges, if they find you downloading music without a proper license, they court-martial you...induct you into the service as an E-1 peon...and probably stick you with a less-than-honorable discharge.