Pirates::RRRRRRR

SO. There are several words that, in the fight over DRM etc. have been obscured this is very important to read for anyone who wants a fair discussion on the topic. Be advised source is biased towards free source however all of the definitions and most of the acronyms are safe, the paper is self aware of its bias. Its a good counterbalance to the large volumes fed to the populace by large companies with a vested intrest in legal restrictions.

http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html

Excerpt:

“Piracy”

Publishers often refer to copying they don't approve of as “piracy.” In this way, they imply that it is ethically equivalent to attacking ships on the high seas, kidnapping and murdering the people on them. Based on such propaganda, they have procured laws in most of the world to forbid copying in most (or sometimes all) circumstances. (They are still pressuring to make these prohibitions more complete.)

If you don't believe that copying not approved by the publisher is just like kidnapping and murder, you might prefer not to use the word “piracy” to describe it. Neutral terms such as “unauthorized copying” (or “prohibited copying” for the situation where it is illegal) are available for use instead. Some of us might even prefer to use a positive term such as “sharing information with your neighbor.”