Just as I was getting all upset over copy-protected CDs, I had to read about record companies quietly paying small software companies to write viruses, worms and Trojan horses to sabotage computers [news.com.com] and Internet connections of people who download pirated music.
It is said in the article some of the methods used include redirecting your web page to a site where you can buy the music legitamately, disrupting your net connection so your downloads get interrupted, or even to the extent of locking up your computer for minutes or hours.
Do they even have the right to do that? In fact a lot of it actually sounds like tactics used by spyware already. Disgusting.