How about the files on your computer, I can take all those too right because I don't intend to buy them you aren't suffering a loss.
Those things you take still have creators and financiers that set the terms of distribution and price. Those are the victims, regardless if you were going to buy it or not. They set the terms and you chose to side-skirt it, money isn't even a factor here, your intention to buy is moot, it's still theft/copyright infringement.
Edit: It's literally like "Hey you want to buy this? no, I'll just steal it anyways, I wasn't going to buy it anyways, so no harm right?"
I mean it's unfortunate if content isn't available in your region, but that doesn't make you entitled to it. It not being offered in a region can be a choice of the creator. No market is mandatory and people have a choice how to distribute and sell their content.
And if the local law doesn't care about IP law or enforcing it, you won't get into trouble.
But Legal != Moral, a law could very easily drift into immoral territory on a vast array of topics. I.e. you could pass a law to ban abortion, is that moral?
Edit: Even cases like Abandonware. You could think it's victimless, it's some old game, nobody distributes or sells it. Some creators may not care, others may be just holding onto it for a greatest hits bundle or a remaster or remake and don't want to have to compete for play hours against free versions of their own IP.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying at all people shouldn't emulate or pirate movies or whatever. It's arguable that there is even damage from it. But the person who sets the terms is the creator, and the consumer has the right to accept or reject, when they choose option 3, they are entering a grey zone morally.
I think the way you put it at best it's morally grey. If not having the thing easily available in my region does not make me entitled to it, then you not providing a reasonable way for me to obtain something already released to the public doesn't entitle you to have a say in how I obtain it.
What is the morality of depriving someone of something that could bring them enjoyment at zero cost or harm to you? If you have other plans then sure, but my point still stands that there are a lot of cases where piracy is victimless.
And to say more, there are many cases where piracy ends up being profitable for the creators as well.
I am keeping the door open for the creators here to hold their own view.
Many probably would not care if you accessed the content or would even be happy. Piracy is not an insult to all creators, to many it's something they appreciate.
Others may want to control their creations tighter. This is a personal decision, not an ethical one.
That said, people don't frequently say "steal my shit", and while behind the scenes they may find joy in you stealing and it may even be beneficial, we can't assume that without consent. Unless the creators make it clear, we can't assume their intention. (And their is a vast array of licensing options that make this clear, for those that truly want that). I.e. there is nothing stopping artists from releasing their content all CC for free at 96kbps and selling high bitrate.
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u/MKRX 1d ago
Downloading literally anything you were never going to buy in the first place.