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I think the whole "we've lost this much money" argument is so full of holes, it's pointless.
The point is: "Posting a book to a torrent is publishing, and this person does not have the legal right to publish this work." That's it.
Where they go from there, I don't know. But trying to put a monetary value on the act is the wrong way to go.
When you steal a TV set, is that money lost to the manufacturer? No. You weren't going to buy the TV anyway. In fact, it puts money INTO the hands of the manufacturer, because the legal owner has to replace it.
Intellectual property is different, since you're distributing an unauthorized copy. Every original buyer still has his copy. All you have left is the PRINCIPLE...you (the pirate) do not have the legal right to publish the work. That breaks a law that has a monetary penalty, arbitrarily established. Pay the fine or go to jail.
And it's all rather pointless anyway, which is why I sell RISEN with no DRM when I'm allowed to. If it isn't worth the price of a latte at any coffee shop, then what am I losing when someone steals/borrows it?
It all seems to me to be a horrible waste of time, trying to enforce DRM.
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