The dirty little secret...

...is that the software industry -- in music, movies and computer programs -- is piracy driven. Piracy creates demand and leads to standards.

To cite just one example, the reason that Bill Gates is a billionaire is that piracy of MS-DOS, followed by Windows and then by Office, created an unstoppable installed base.

The downloading of pirated software by private individuals for non-commercial use, as opposed to multiple-copy piracy or out-and-out counterfeiting -- does not cause software companies to lose sales revenue.

One more thing: The downloading and trading of pirated software is a hobby, not a commercial activity. People do it because it is fun.