It's a realistic fear. I almost caught charges once, when I was younger and more reckless about downloading, but I settled it beforehand.

Then I took a long break from torrenting, did the paid streaming thing, learned more about digital security, and eventually found myself sailing the high seas yet again.

absolutely; i was trying to answer your question because I've wondered the same thing and those were the conclusions i came to

I don't know if my legal knowledge is outdated, but wasn't one of the outcomes of the whole bajillion-dollar lawsuit days a system where first you get a letter, then a small fine, and then a bigger fine before they really start holding you upside-down by the ankles and grabbing whatever falls out of your pockets?