If a creator stopped making software you pirated because it wasn't sustainable would you feel guilt?
And someone originally bought the pirated software, too, which they then went on to share with others....just like a library. So what, again, is the difference?
No, of course I wouldn't feel guilt. Do you feel guilt when you buy things secondhand or borrow books from libraries? You're not benefiting the creator and you're shortchanging the creator of the cost of purchase because you don't want to pay full price for a new copy. What's the difference?
> Presumably an author can pick a publisher that does or doesn't distribute to libraries.
As if a library is legally required to only carry books with the publisher's permission?
Also buying second hand is completely different as one second hand DVD can't be shared amongst millions of people. It's a completely different scale...
Was also interested to read about the PLR
I can confirm this. One of the 'cracks' for one of my programs was a license code obtained by someone using a stolen credit card. No attempt to actually crack & keygen the software. And there's genuine theft there, as payment processors keep the transaction fee after the refund, and there's a $25 penalty fine for a chargeback. Plus the owner of the credit card temporarily gets their card locked until it's replaced, etc.
So if you've ever used warez from Team OXiDE, keep in mind that some of that software was obtained via actual fraud.
> Was also interested to read about the PLR
To save people a click: "Public Lending Right (PLR) is the right for authors to receive payment for the loans of their books by public libraries."
Australia has a similar Public Lending Right as well. In return for allowing their books to be available in libraries, authors receive a subscription payment from those libraries: