This sort of thinking only encourages more breaking of copyright law, the vast majority of which is of content that is neither rare nor in danger of being lost.

This sort of thinking only encourages more breaking of copyright law, the vast majority of which is of content that is neither rare nor in danger of being lost. I don't think society is better off for that, as it simply exacerbates this specific freerider problem. "Big corps" (and small creators) are investing their resources into providing content that you like? What are you giving back in return?