In short: Give the people what they want and they will pay you.If only it were so simple. Today you can buy virtually any media electronically. Services like Netflix, Rdio, Spotify, iTunes and others allow for enormous content enjoyment at a very reasonable price, with a couple of mouse clicks. Steam and Origin, App Stores and Android Markets exist with countless software options for incredibly low prices.
Yet piracy is still absolutely rampant. We're being lectured to by thieves who made millions on the other side of the law.
There are some people who are simply selfish and greedy. Who are willing to ignore the law -- if not even twisting reality -- to suit their own selfish desires. Such transparent arguments usually drown out any rational discussions on sites like Reddit, Slashdot, and sadly now HN.
I've spoken against piracy many times (and it is stealing, and arguments to the contrary are baseless. I spend thousands per year on games, movies and music. I have well-paid peers who spend $0, enjoy all the same content, but will still give you the tired "it isn't stealing, no one was deprived" nonsense argument), but it's an argument that just isn't worth having on many online venues. There are simply too many people who contort rationale to defend what gives them the most for the least, everything else be damned.
- at least in the short term. Then, of course, those movies, music and games stop being produced.