You also get more than just the content (and the medium) when you purchase software: a) Peace of mind that the software won't harm your computer. There are si

You also get more than just the content (and the medium) when you purchase software: a) Peace of mind that the software won't harm your computer. There are situations where it does harm your computer, but at least you have someone to blame or try to seek redress from. You can never quite trust an executable file you obtain from someone other than the publisher to the extent that you can a legal copy. b) Somebody to help you if you have problems with the software. c) If you are really lucky, people working to make your software better even after you've already paid for it. These selling points may not be important to a lot of people here, but they do add value for some users, and "media" types of information don't offer them.