And my point is that libraries still pay something for what they eventually get, or benefit from the largesse of of folks who also paid for the material they donate. The amounts involved are mere quibbling; a mugs game you play to keep pretending that that piracy is morally superior to theft because nobody really “loses” anything. If this issue is really that much of a moral puzzle for you that you feel the need to hide behind it, then that is more than a little disappointing, as I’ve enjoyed the many thoughtful points you’ve made throughout your time on this site.

For my part, I feel it’s pretty clear: whether it’s tangible material that’s getting taken from somebody, or something more nebulous but of equal-or-greater value, such as their intellectual property (a legal concept very much enforceable in this day & age, even with continuing improvements in copying technology,) either way that person’s getting cheated out of what is rightfully theirs: something they either created themselves or paid for themselves.

I appreciate your desire to keep this honest. For my part, I’ve been nothing but. And yet I’m having a hard time appreciating exactly what you yourself are being honest about.