I don't believe in a "strict rule of law"; even if it's written somewhere that "copy/paste = permaban", I'm willing to relax that on occasion. If you're going to be a net positive to the forum going forward, then I probably want you here, even if you've made past mistakes. But someone who at any point copy/pastes garbage like this has proven that they have an utterly broken mindset when it comes to the forum, and I have a really hard time believing that such a person will be a net positive going forward.
Theymos summarized the whole situation here on that thread cited.
I do not know what goes on in the private boards or how users gets penalties for their actions.
And leniency has been applied in scenarios where reputable members were involved, as mods are permitted to take decisions at their own discretion.
Also considering quality contributions, it should not solely be weiuged by number of years you've been on the forum (of course old reputable members should get credits).
But those users who stand out in the current influx of users coming to exploit the forum and actually help improve the community should also be given consideration.