I'm not pro-piracy, but I don't see it as an offense as serious as stealing either. In my opinion, copyrights and patents are the things that discourage innova

I'm not pro-piracy, but I don't see it as an offense as serious as stealing either. In my opinion, copyrights and patents are the things that discourage innovation, not 'piracy'. They make it unnecessarily difficult to do anything, especially for smaller companies, because almost everything is encumbered in a complex web of cross-licensing. This makes it no longer about leading in technology, but about hiring tons of expensive lawyers. Invention is not about protecting what has been. It's about staying ahead.