Here’s a table I adapted from Louis Rossman’s video on the levels of piracy, grey areas and his morals and ethics on it. (spreadsheet file)
I tried to condense each rank and make it less about a specific type of media like CD audio or DVD video, along with a table of simplified characteristics of each situation. Of course more levels can be added and there are many situations not covered. This hierarchy is simply the way Louis ordered it from more to less justifiable; he respects people can think about it differently and I do too. He suggests that he doesn’t really care about people that pirate without giving a shit about creators, and that he only has a problem with people who aren’t honest with themselves about their motivations.
Setting legality aside, what ‘level of piracy’ is morally or ethically acceptable to you?
The whole point of “ethical” piracy is ridiculous. It’s old good corporate anti-piracy propaganda but rechewed with some progressive takes. “You wouldn’t download an indie car”, literally. If you need some justifications and excuses for piracy, than just don’t pirate at all. The fact that i’m downloading some game from torrent because i’ve broken purchased DVD with it never makes me more ethical in any way than some other leecher on the same torrent who’s never going to pay for it.