While not a huge fan of the RIAA, nor a huge fan of the cost of media, I have to say that I am kinda glad this is going on. America is for freedom, the freedom to pursue dreams, and make something from nothing. If copyright law was not how it was then the people with the ability to make these movies and music a reality would either not bother, or not put as much effort into it. Unless the artists/directors/actors/etc are protected in their work then it all dries up and we become every other countries film and music industry, which (with rare exception) absolutely sucks.
Back when almost all movies were $15+, and all CDs were $10+ it made sense to pirate because the risk was low, and the media expensive. But now songs are $.50-$1, CDs (after a few months) are generally $5, and most movies are in the $5-15 depending of the medium/format, not to mention dollar rentals, and cheap streaming services like hulu and netflix. And this is after years of inflation as well. The less people pirate, the less the artists and distribution companies will work with the RIAA (yes, they hate them too), and the cheaper all media will get.