Apparently, catching copyright violators is becoming a profitable business in Korea. So called Net-parazzis (Net + Paparazzi) are prowling the Net in Korea to catch unsuspecting copyright violators anyway they can in return for a cut of the financial settlement between the copyright violator and the copyright holder.
One Net-parazzi business found 18,000 violators in the past 8 months. Settlement fees range $500~$1000 for adults, $300 for university sutdents, and $100 for minors. With split of 40% for Net-parazzi, 40% for the lawyers, and $20% for copyright holders, Net-parazzis are making decent profits. So far there are 10 such companies but the number is expected to grow rapidly because Korea is full of smart net-savvy yet jobless youngsters.
Sources (in Korean language):
BTW, a similar thing happened when Korean government announced bounties for traffic law violators. Within a month people showed up at intersections and roadsides all over the country with camera to catch drivers in the act. The bounty had to be pulled eventually because fights broke out among bounty hunters over lucrative areas and between drivers and bounty hunters over evidence.
It reminds me of the Dilbert cartoon, after the pointy-haired boss announced a $5 bounty on all bugs found in their product. Wally leans back in his chair and exclaims, "I'm gonna code myself a new minivan!"
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