[paulnechifor]

Yes: copyright infringement. US law also calls it that and not theft[1].

Also note the disparity: if you pay for software, you don't own it, you license it; but if you get it without paying, some call it theft.

[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_infringement#.22Theft...

[bdcravens]

Keep in mind that the details surrounding copyrighting of software weren't solidified until the Copyright Act of 1976, which didn't go into law until 1978.

So at the time this letter was written, Micro-Soft's software didn't receive the automatic copyright protection we know of today.