[Grimm]

That's not how the torrent works. Most of the modern clients provide a current upload/download indication and you can easily verify what I am about to say.

Go for it.

The protocol is optimized to create and then use as many sources/copies as it is possible. In other words, the shared file is divided into chunks. As soon as you download a single chunk, you are offering it to other nodes, and you get "credit" for any chunk that is served from your machine. If you completely disable upload from your machine, the protocol/network will recognize you as passive downloader and will penalize you. The transfer will take forever. Try it.

Yes, you will get penalized as a leecher if you don't seed in return if the site keeps ratios. I never said otherwise. One thing to add, by modifying the private trackers you CAN leech without having your ratio affected at all.

"Seeder" is the node that has finished it's download (100% of the file was downloaded) and now only serves the chunks to the p2p network.

That is pretty much what I said when I said except I used the word "bits" of the file and you said "chunks."

You are actively participating in copyright violation (if the content is copyright protected), the moment you have finished download of the first chunk.

I never said you weren't, just that I was unclear on it. I don't doubt you are correct but I'd like to see the actual law so I can read it.

PeerBlock filters out known IP addresses used by legal/monitoring bodies. The folks in business of catching/prosecuting piracy know how the technology works, and are trying to adapt. They change IP's, use proxies, etc.

Try using PeerBlock and take a look at these legal/monitoring bodies. I personally leave PeerBlock running all the time because while these "bodies" may be legally moitoring me I have every right to block them from watching me. There is no unspoken agreement with them. To me, they are no better than spam emails. The pirates have been, and likely will remain one step ahead of these other groups.

There is no such thing as an absolute security for a machine connected to the Net (every security measure just "raises the bar" for hacker/malware). Similarly, there is no safe way of practising digital piracy.

Of course there is no such thing as absolute security, all I said was "good luck" because that is true. Right, wrong, or indifferent it's true. If you're smart about using torrents (i.e. not going for brand new movies or music as they are watched like crazy, using PeerBlock and minimizing seed times) you can easily get away with piracy. I'm not saying anyone should, just that it is VERY easy to fly under the radar. To say otherwise is just plain false.