Spin-off from Piracy/File sharing - Why aren't songs, movies or ebooks given for free (+ads) like TV?
What are the economic benefits of SLAPP in or out of file sharing/piracy?
There's a comment in above link that says 'The relevance is that the recording industry is not obviously losing the piracy battle. The basis of the OP's question is that they are' (I'm OP, btw ^-^).
If that's the case, why did the RIAA heavily prosecute people for what some (yay, weasel words!) people may consider outrageous fines for outrageous expenses (not to mention opportunity cost)? Examples are Joel Tenenbaum (4.5m USD at one point) and Jammie Thomas-Rasset (1.92m USD at one point).
From Wiki (emphasis mine):
A strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP) is a lawsuit that is intended to censor, intimidate, and silence critics by burdening them with the cost of a legal defense until they abandon their criticism or opposition.
The typical SLAPP plaintiff does not normally expect to win the lawsuit. The plaintiff's goals are accomplished if the defendant succumbs to fear, intimidation, mounting legal costs or simple exhaustion and abandons the criticism. In some cases, repeated frivolous litigation against a defendant may raise the cost of directors and officers liability insurance for that party, interfering with an organization's ability to operate.
I'm assuming that there are some economic benefits to the government, society, the RIAA/the plaintiffs, someone or something by having pursued those individuals so persistently. But then again if it was so beneficial, then I expect we'd hear about a lot more than just these 2 SLAPP cases. (Or, what, everyone else really decided to settle? Idk. I kinda think it's more like RIAA/MPAA decreased its litigious tendencies.)
Perhaps in cases besides file sharing, this might have some benefits, but when it comes to current copyright law, file sharing, piracy, a digital world, etc, I'm drawing blanks particularly due to the 'Internet principle of the Hydra: You know, you can stomp one person, but there’s going to be seven more of us.'
Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) Glickman 'concedes that piracy will never be stopped, but states that they will try to make it as difficult and tedious as possible.'
So, what exactly is the MPAA/RIAA getting out of SLAPP's? If there is no direct answer to be given, an alternative could be: What are the benefits of SLAPP's in general (then reader e.g. me infers analogous benefits)?