The purpose of your post, I understand, is to determine if the word "stealing" can be fairly applied to piracy. You've convinced me that "stealing" is not a good term for this behavior. But I still think it is in many cases unethical. To determine when it is wrong we would probably do well to take it on a case-by-case basis.So you're saying it's the consumer's job to keep supply artificially low in order that demand can stay up?
I mean to say that copying should not be construed as having no harmful effects, simply because the producer's inventory is not touched. A lost sale is a plausible effect.
That's fair. The discussion about the ethics of piracy is totally acceptable, but I just hate it when people try to spit moralizing platitudes about "stop trying to justify your stealing" in anybody's face who has an opinion to the contrary. The purpose of your post, I understand, is to determine if the word "stealing" can be fairly applied to piracy. You've convinced me that "stealing" is not a good term for this behavior. But I still think it is in many cases unethical.