i am absolutely unconvinced by the idea that a pirated copy of anything means a lost sale. at least not in my world. i almost always buy used. whether it's books or movies or music. no sense in spending $25 for a new copy of something when i can wait a few months and buy it for $8. in this respect, it makes no difference to the original publishers whether i buy something or download it.
and what about digital acquisitions of things that a person would have never paid money for in the first place?
consider Photoshop. every kid and their mother has it on their computer, but the vast majority of Photoshop users would have never purchased the app if they could not acquire a free copy. in fact, most Photoshop pirates only use it to re-size images and add inane effects to their myspace photos.
but every once in a while, a youngster will catch on, learn the ropes, and become adept at using the software. if said youngster then moves on to the professional world and finds a need to use Photoshop for commercial reasons, chances are they'll get their boss to buy it.
it's not unlike last year's Windows 7 public beta/RC run - get 'em hooked while it's free, and make 'em want to pay
