What I took away from Tom's post is that if there's no IR violation, it's better to let a few people get away with it than to aggressively pursue possible infractions.
If this were the intent of the rules, then we wouldn't need any rules other than the IRs. After all, if only IR violations can be acted on, then why have any other rules at all?
Players should police themselves, and the rule should rarely (if ever) require enforcement, except in cases where the abuse is so patent and unambiguous as to preclude any discussion. Since there is room for discussion in this case, the defendant should get the benefit of the doubt. Hopefully the spirit of fairplay is something that all players will take to heart.
That's a good theory. However, player-based enforcement in MMORPGs simply does not work. It's been tried many times in many games. There are too many people willing to look the other way, to conspire, who see things differently, or who just don't care. There must be some group in charge of investigation and enforcement, to make sure that everyone stays honest.
