In some jurisdictions it definitely is a criminal offense and is compared to theft in the law itself thanks to unregulated lobbying of media conglomerates. edi

In some jurisdictions it definitely is a criminal offense and is compared to theft in the law itself thanks to unregulated lobbying of media conglomerates. edit: I'm not saying it's good that it has become equivated to theft, we have anti-pirate legislation to thank for this. I would call pirating infringement, but license violation is much more akin to theft than anything.