I have now purchased 3 copies of Shrek now - mainly for my step daughter as the grand kids insist on playing it and they tend to be heavy handed and scratch it.
Should I just keep on buying them?
Should I back up my entire DVD collection (approximately 150 films) in case I scratch one of the DVDs and render it unplayable?
How about music? I have purchased in my lifetime a copy of certain Albums on vinyl, tape and cd. Should I now purchase it again if my cd gets scratched or unplayable?
I have Will & Grace collection on DVD - it is much easier for me to download a torrent of AVI files to put on my archos rather than ripping the DVD - as this tends to put it in one long file rather than individual files.
I have also downloaded a series called Boston Legal - a few weeks in advance of it being shown on Living TV (a paid for Sky channel which I subscribe to). You could argue that advertising is being lost out on - but since I record most things on Sky plus, I don't see the adverts anyway.
I don't know anyone that doesn't break the law at some point - be it speeding, parking on double yellow lines, cycling on a pavement, being drunk and disorderly in public or throwing a cigarette butt on the floor to name but a few. People have their own set of morals - and some people can justify what they do (I certainly feel able to).
This isn't an amazing new concept - I remember recording music from the radio onto tapes and borrowing videos from friends. Neither of these were the end of the music of film industry - just as downloading won't be.