Piracy...your take?

[Eilonnwy]

I won't deny that fair use and theft of downloaded material is not a fuzzy area of law. In general, things you can legally record for personal use that is available publicly, such as stuff recorded on TV and radio, is not considered stealing. Stealing comes in when you try to sell those recordings, or you take something that has been purchased, such as a DVD and CD, you rip it and give it away or sell it. This constitutes as stealing, because instead of purchasing the material people buy it from someone else or do not buy it at all leading to loss of profits. People can argue that these distinctions shouldn't exist one way or another, but legally that's where it is and as I said, I'm arguing from a legal standpoint.