It would be interesting, yes, but not particularly meaningful without way more depth than a poll can provide.

• Did you pirate before you believed it was wrong, or while?
• EDIT: (Texrat-inspired) If before, have you gotten rid of it now?
• What sort of piracy, downloading instead of buying?
• Buying, then uploading or copy/sharing?
• Buying and installing on multiple machines?
• Using the OEM key for a new machine that came with Windows to install Windows on an old machine after you wipe the new one with a free OS?
• Buying in one format, then converting to another for your own use?
• Grabbing from ad-supported (TV/radio/web) and hoarding for possible rewatching?

What I'd find really interesting is a three-way poll:
Is software piracy ok?

• Yes, in general.
• Not in most cases, but with some exception for students with limited financial resources, etc.
• No, in general.

I fail to see how the argument is broken, Benson.

Using that logic, someone who would never buy a Mercedes but steals one is not committing theft.

When someone has put a price for their item/service/favor, then you dance around paying the amount by using a 1001 excuses, I call: BOLLOCKS.

You know what, I was about to spend $100 on software A, but my dog got sick. So I had to reallocate that fund for my canine conundrum and I was FORCED to pirate the software to get my job done in time.
BOLLOCKS.

You know, I have enough money in the bank to buy Adobe Photoshop suite, but I have enough common sense to save up the money instead. So I was forced to download it via torrents. BOLLOCKS.

I saw this nifty ad for an app but I'm not sure whether it's worth the asking price. So I did a quick torrent search and found it for free instead. I had fun with it for a couple of hours, but if you ask me to cough up the money, fair and square, I wouldn't have done that. It's not worth it. BOLLOCKS.

Bottomline is: if it's easy to pirate, then you'd pick up the copy for yourself first, THEN, rationalize your actions via a convoluted logic putting yourself as the ultimate judge of who is worthy of what.

Rationalize that...

I love it how the best words slip by the profanity filter unlike so many of the more polite ones.

But still.. the fundamental paradox in all this is that this statement is only accurate if by "steal" you mean pulls a device out of his pocket, scans the Mercedes, and prints himself an exact copy and drives away in the "new" one.

I would never buy an iPad. Though if I won one in a raffle or found one discarded I might find use for it.. but Apple has no hope what-so-ever of getting me to buy an iPad. Now I wouldn't "steal" an iPad either, because that deprives the owner of that iPad for something they paid for, their object. When dealing with piracy the only legitimate thing you can be accused of "stealing" is "time". The time it took to make product X because you aren't "stealing" anything physical. Now, if stealing time is a crime then every company in the world that's ever held a meeting owes it's employees some dues .

Having said all this.. I disagree completely with the original question asked in this thread. Either you believe pirating/"stealing" software is wrong or you don't. Either you believe stealing or thieving something physical is wrong or you don't.

Just because a starving woman steals a loaf of bread to feed her malnourished six year-old doesn't suddenly make the wrong a right. It might make it more understandable, but it doesn't change the thing itself. The punishment may change based on the circumstances, but the fundemental thing itself hasn't changed.

IMHO.. when you have to ask "Is it ok when..." you should immediately start to rethink your situation. Justification is like masturbation.. you're only screwing yourself .

Yes, I realize copying is a special case. But usually a unique product key must be obtained as well. These are usually cracked and sold/given away on the black market. They can only be used once. Far too often someone registers software with a stolen key and locks out the legitimate purchaser. It happened to my son on one of his games. Fortunately the publisher provided another. But still...

Anyway, the rationalization for piracy breaks down because it assumes all or most people who pirate software would not otherwise obtain it legally. If piracy was impossible, and they really wanted it, they would find a way to pay for it.

Raises hand... rather shamefacedly

Seriously, I wouldn't be able to sleep with myself at night.

If you can't see it, feel it, or taste it, it's not stealing.
Also never forget what George on Seinfeld once said..."its not a lie if you believe it".

Utterly incorrect.

Services can be unseen, but they're still just as valuable.

Anyway, you folks who are convinced your rationalizations are valid aren't going to change your mind based on internet debate. Just as I'll not be swayed into supporting someone acquiring an item or service without compensation based on how much money they have at a given time.

Ah, what a slippery slope...

what if you don't have a choice? Like when software vendors not accepting purchases from my country. We don't have a stable payment system?

And we don't have Cinema but I want to watch Inception.

Can I download torrents now?