@Kazuaki
I use the same argumentation when talking about farmers dumping food on the motorway or "water" their fields with milk. It is true that there is a problem of over production and that things could be quite more effective. From a utilitarian point of view, people who could not afford the farmer's goods, would be much better off with those good give to them, ensuring a more diverse and healthy diet, this saving state money and the same time, farmer's won't lose anything more than by just letting things go to waste. The fact the there is 1B people starving and European farmers are dumping food, should be more than reason enough for governments to block any and all additional payment to the farmers until they get their act together. The problem is, they represent a strong lobby.
About XBox and other pirates. While stealing is generaly wrong and intellectual property is to be protected, I have to agree again with Kazuaki that more good can come out from "piracy", than by preventing people access. Do you really think that every flash gamer paid thousands of dollars in order to get the latest flash version? Or that they paid for 3DMax, as almost every moded game needs 3D models sooner or later. There are open source activities, yet that causes compatibility issues.
While Microsoft was well within their rights to stop people playing online with pirated games as was Blizzard in the past, this does open the still raging debate about modern property rights and economic gains made from the fight against piracy. As someone mentioned, pirates are more likely to buy things after they try then out, than people who do not have the same chance, meaning that the software company receives neither money, nor is there an increase in intellectual potential. Only teenagers play games just for the games themselves, yet I know I no longer do. Anyone playing SH knows its more than just a simple game of torpedoing enemy ships.
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