So then 'free' accounts would need longer timers than my suggested amounts.
And it may just succeed in normal good people saying fuck it. I won't bother.
That's the thing: when considering the implementation of new regulation or wide-scale changes, we should consider whether it's worth affecting every single person in order to stop a few. It makes it even more difficult to introduce some policy if there is an easy way of bypassing it, which makes our anti-abuse process turn into a game of cat & mouse.
What is the real intent of this?
What are the gains, and will they be temporary or permanent?
Are they worth making it more difficult for new users to register?
Questions to consider.