[epo]

What justification? If someone can't cope with a buying process then they shouldn't buy, it is no excuse for stealing. This is as asinine as seeing a long queue at a supermarket and declaring this is "justification" for walking out with the goods without paying.

[rkudeshi]

I mean that people who engage in piracy can claim they do so because it's difficult for them to easily and legally purchase the same item.

When VMWare moves to a simpler (perhaps iTunes-like) system, then pirates have no rational justification.

[marknutter]

It's a justification. You don't have to agree with it, but not doing so doesn't make it any less of a justification.

[billybob]

"The line was long" is also a justification for shoplifting. "He looked at me funny" is also a justification for murder. All you're saying is "the offender can tell him/herself that they have a reason." Which is always true for anything anybody does.

I get that you should make it easy for people to buy your software legitimately. But I don't buy the argument that if you don't, they are "justified" in stealing it. Everybody rationalizes whatever they do. That doesn't make it right.