>It does not exist truly. It is a fabricated concept including a harsh sounding word (piracy) designed to evoke sympathy and fear through emotion, demanding even justice and retribution... "Oh, your software's been pirated? That's awful! You should sue."

agreed. Still:

>What men really mean when they speak of "software piracy" are perceived or presumed losses against their monopoly. This is a strange, unnatural concept, and especially so in the realm of all things digital because literal, perfect replication to all is essentially zero cost (using the network and computer resources we're already paying for ... just in a new way due to an acquiring of the new content).
...
>The reason we have men claiming allegations of "software piracy" is simple: because of personal greed, personal lust, of an inflated sense of self importance, of wanting to control rather than participate in, of wanting for self a greater personal return on their labor than that which they received while authoring it. And rather than continuing to work and produce using the skills God gave him to benefit as many people as possible through gifts of his knowledge, abilities and labor, all of which were gifts he first received himself, he cuts off that channel in favor of the one leading to "more for me, less for you."

IMO your visualization of payment is too focused on a "pay by H" example. Esp. when creating nearly custom or branch specific SW how could some programs be written if not *planned* to be sold a couple of dozen times for a price a tiny fraction of development effort ? Why not allow the typical benefits of capitalism (not saying it is perfect...) in our business ? Not talking about patenting rounded edges seen dozen years ago on screen, but trying to sell the results of your own effort to as many customers at the price YOU consider worth while - allowing for you to get more or less than originally hpoed for as well as others others to compete by recreating your effort.

regards

thomas