It isn't when it's paid off in advance in a form of the predatory tax, also on people and items anywhere close to "piracy": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privat

It isn't when it's paid off in advance in a form of the predatory tax, also on people and items anywhere close to "piracy": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_copying_levy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_copying_levy If someone lives in one of the countries where this tax is being levied, they're not "pirating", they're merely exercising their prepaid privilege.