hmmm, interesting debate going on here..
Does "Software Piracy" = 'stealing'?
Well, if it is then 'technically' speaking "Software Pirates" are only guilty of pety theft, and the law is quite lienient in their punishment of 'Pety Theft'. (Heck, the fine for pety theft is lower than the cost many games in some places, in fact if you can't pay the fine they will give you a place to sleep and feed you a few meals for your crime.
)
"Software Piracy" is IMHO 'Copyright infringement' and involves the illegal use of intillectual property. 'Piracy' not only hurts the person who owns the copyright, but also hurts the game development industry. It also affects the tax dollar and therefore means that the government is also a victim which in turn means that society suffers the burden. Again, IMHO "Software Piracy" is NOT 'Stealing', It's much worse. There is no justification for "Software Piracy" period.
Nuf said, Cheers!