I realised I hadn't responded this bit:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Elfwreck
That's taking an *actual* resource from him: his time.
Comparing infringement to that would be like opening your own plumber shop, using his specialized methods, but undercutting his prices. Or telling everyone in town what a lousy plumber he is, so they won't hire him. In either case, you've destroyed his ability to profit, but you haven't taken away anything he already has. [...]
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By emphasising the defamation side of it you really are getting taking the less than perfect analogy way off base. Yes VydorScope mentioned the possibility of malware attached to pirate ebook downloads, but that's not an aspect I think particularly relevant, nor was it the primary focus of his post (not the way I read it).
The real point is that denying the author payment is effectively the same as not paying for any other service or goods received. The fact that different services or goods generate income in different ways does not deny the correlation. Not paying for what you have taken/used is taking away the income of the provider.