I don't know why some people have issues with the concept of a "lost sale."
Here's an example from when I used to manage a bookstore, and we often had what we called a "lost sale." Someone would come in to buy a book, let's say the latest Tom Clancy thriller, and not find it on the shelf. (Let's say because one of the clerks hadn't put the latest order out and it was sitting in the stockroom). So this customer turns around and goes down to our competitor at the other end of the mall and buys it there.
That's a lost sale.
Sometimes people do pirate things they would have bought. Sometimes people pirate things they would not otherwise have bought. When considering losses due to piracy it's important to try to find some way of distinguishing the two groups.
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