Yes, if by "something mean" you imply that there is some damage (e.g. if you break your neighbor's window when no one is watching). When you download some file,

Yes, if by "something mean" you imply that there is some damage (e.g. if you break your neighbor's window when no one is watching). When you download some file, you can't do damage. I both pirate and buy movies, music, books, etc. Whether I choose to pirate or buy something is only a matter of convenience, not a matter of moral. I bought your books while they are available legally and for free on the web just because I prefer the convenience of a book to badly rendered fonts on a LCD screen, not because I felt good giving you money :) edit: it's no surprise that a fundamental assumption of economics is that individuals only act in their interest.