But intellectual property rights are property rights (right there in the name; granted, it's a different kind of property, infinitely replicable, but it's still

But intellectual property rights are property rights (right there in the name; granted, it's a different kind of property, infinitely replicable, but it's still "intangible personal property," protected as such). ... and infringing a valid copyright willfully for purposes of commercial advantage or private financial gain is a criminal offense in the US (17 U.S.C. 506(A)). It's up to a felony violation. You can, for personal reasons, assert there's a fundamental difference in kind (and you'd be joining an argument dating back past the founding of the U.S., an argument where Thomas Jefferson once said of protection of intellectual property that "other nations have thought that these monopolies produce more embarrassment than advantage to society"), but in the sense that any law has any real meaning or force, it's exactly as much the law as the law against kicking you out of your own house because I like your house better.