[zenexer]

> People who download pirated stuff no longer have to fear being sued and forced into an expensive settlement.

That's certainly not true. Nothing prevents Sony from suing these people. They could go to court, present evidence, get a court order, and go after these people the same way they always have. They don't seem to want to do that, probably for a variety of reasons. It's awfully convenient if you can scare service providers into enforcing your will without all that pesky "evidence" nonsense.

If you're referring to laws like DMCA and CDA, those provide safe harbor to the likes of websites and hosting providers that serve user-generated content. They don't provide safe harbor to the individuals responsible for posting that user-generated content. You're still on the hook for what you post online, and Sony could sue you. Nothing stops them from doing so.