I do believe Theymos said permaban appeals would be considered on a case-by-case basis, which implies that not everyone would be treated as equals--because not every case is the same, and not all users contribute equally. I happen to think that's fair, though I understand that it appears as though some members are getting special treatment--because they are.
Heard mine from @hilariousetc so could be, he did say so and if I'm to air my views on this, I'll consider it the best solution so far unless theymos will buy into the idea of users commiting a second offend before they get permanently banned for pagiarism. Prevention is better than cure like they say so it'll be wise to abstain from breaking any forum rules especially the ones that could lead to getting banned if you're not ready to take the punishment associated with such act.
The decision to judge each individual separately promote the need for users to engage in becoming a net positive user of the community or totally abstain from committing plagiarism. Most cases i have seen so far are usually those of users just been quality contributors & from my understanding of what been "net positive" to the forum is all about, goes beyond just your post quality.