It’s over. Done. The South lost and Dixie isn’t coming back and there is no way to put out digital data and not have them copyied when the cost are zero.

I am not suggesting a punishment, merely pointing out that what Dan is doing is dishonest. Your example is interesting, because the difference then between a clear crime and one that is hazy is simply the number of grapes.

I’m not going to find new music I like on the radio or on any of the MTV channels; I’m not likely to find bands I’m interested in checking out available in my local library either. You wouldn’t buy anything the appreciation of which is subjective without trying it out first, be it clothes, cars, musical instruments or anything else. I don’t consider a listening booth in a record store an satisfactory means of so doing, either.

The internet is thus an invaluable tool in the promotion of a genuinely informed consumerism, the very spirit of caveat emptor, which a cynic might easily conclude the music industry does its best to frustrate. There is no doubt in my mind that the ability to download and investigate music that in all likelihood I would never otherwise hear has led me to make any number of purchases which I wouldn’t have otherwise made, so I emphatically support Sol’s last statement.

I believe that copyright law and patent law are the two legs upon which modern civilization stands and absent these laws none of the technology we currently enjoy would ever have been invented and our lives would all have been shortened by pestulence and famine.

I do not subscribe to the notion that sharing copyrighted material via the internet is any more harmful than sharing that same material via well-stocked public libraries. And therefore I assert that sharing this material actually benefits both society and the artist (whose work it is) regardless of the channel of distribution selected.

Well, it’s being used, certainly; but how is it being taken? When I download data — any data — from a server on the Internet, what I now have is a copy of the file; I haven’t and can’t remove the original from the server. I do not, by copying data, prevent anyone else from reading that data, even for a moment. And the wrong of theft lies in preventing the lawful use of the thing stolen, not in the use the thief makes of it. Violating copyright is illegal, but it’s not the same crime as theft.

Also, as I said, eventually the UFC shows these fights for free on Spike TV, which I have on cable. I am just jumping the gun by a few months to see them for free before the official versions come out on cable. That is how I justify myself anyway. And the fact still remains that UFC wasn’t going to get a cent from me anyway for the pay per view – I simply don’t do anything pay per view, much less something I will get for free in a few months.

I generally defer that I am backing up said music/movies/software for an unidentified partner who will then be able to retreive the goods from my hard drive, should the need arise. I’m merely doing the world a favor and it isn’t my responsibility to make sure the recipient of my helping hand deserves it.

I will surely burn in hell for it, but for today, I will enjoy free goods.

Do you steal hardware too, or just software?

Can’t I use your argument when I download music? I am just doing it to familiarize myself with the band’s music, and then I will pop for the $17.99 for the CD.

Stealing is stealing.

Having seen the fights, I have no reason to purchase them or see them again. OTOH, if I didn’t see this product on the free site, I would simply just not see them. The fights are worth free to me, but not worth money. Eventually, these fights make their way onto free TV, it just takes a few months.

So in one sense the UFC may be making a coin down the road as if I remain interested in it I may purchase a ticket to a live event one day, or something from their legit website (the former is a possibility, the latter is doubtful).

Yes, my level of criminality is low here, just as it is low for music sharers.

So you broke the rules but the damage was either small, nonexistent, or your behavior will ultimately benefit the rights owners.