I know that gaming is not the only medium that involves piracy and illegal copies but it forms a fair share of the total.
One quite popular argument in favor of piracy is based on the popular pre-movie ad "You wouldn't steal a car". The argument goes like "If I steal your car, it's not in front of your house the next morning. If I pirate/copy it though, your car stays there but I will have a car that is exactly the same." One huge mistake in this is comparing something physical (car, house, ring) to something more abstract (code). To replicate, or better yet copy a code, all you need is a functional computer. If you want to copy a car though, apart from the machine that puts it all together, you need components. We have yet to find a way to make something out of nothing, so in order to copy a car, you'd need to invest into a reasonable amount of materials for the copy to be assembled.
Another thing is proof. Stuff comes on CDs/DVDs/BRs but we're slowly moving towards digital only. How do you, or the opposite side for that matter, prove that the game on your HDD is a legitimate purchase of a DRM-free game, that the ironman3.mp4 is a legit RIP from a BR you have purchased and that the 50 gigs of music have all been purchased and not pirated? Do you need to keep the receipts until you delete the stuff? Even if all digital goods get a unique serial number as a verified purchase, there will still be a way to duplicate this number to a pirated version.
All in all, I think that it will take years, if ever, to make piracy as black and white as stealing a physical item.
What's your opinion, do you justify piracy as something wrong or right to do and do you think it will ever be a solved issue?
zaxrider
I don't think you've fully understood the "You wouldn't steal a car argument". They mean it's similar to stealing a brand-new car from a factor or a showroom, i.e. you're depriving the showroom of the revenue that they deserve.
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