Oh but you do.  By displaying your sig and avatar you have condone copyright infringement.

Cant buy image or video off internet so not stealing? fucking think again.

Please go look up the definition of copyright infringement then come back. thx.

I know I'm only feeding a troll here so this will be the last post on this subject (or at least one directed at you):

it would be wrong if we gained anything of value from the image.  If I took a screenshot from Halo: Reach and then tried to sell it to you, that would be wrong and I could get in trouble for that.  If I took a screenshot and made that my avatar, that is fair use.

There's really no arguing that because that's just how it is.  That's like trying to argue against being able to eat ice cream on a Tuesday.

No i don't need to, your justification is pathetic, pirating a game ruins the game industry, using an image does not. They're clearly not the same.

It seems your puny brain cannot comprehend copyright infringement.

Like I said, copyright infringement(unauthorized use of copyright material; since you cannot comprehend) has nothing to do with ruining the game industry or not. You either pirate or you dont. its that simple.

By your definition piracy only counts when it comes to your favourite gaming industry? your ethic is so fucking laughable.

I didn't say it only counts when it comes to the gaming industry, it counts in downloading films, music and games, and I'm sure other cases. using images on the internet however IS different, and doesn't put people out of business. You know this. So you can use all the jargon you like, but it'll never be the same. I can sleep sound at night knowing I'm not stealing from any game developer, can you? Likely not.

Another pirate that thinks the world owes them everything you'll end up in the slammer with that attitude.

Huh.  For some reason I always figured you'd need to get permission from the louve.

Eh, regardless.

The self-righteousness of some folks in this thread is making me angry, though when it comes to gaming i have little room to be angry at the non-pirates. If anything i'm the quintessential stupid consumer that the gaming industry wishes everyone were: i buy all my games and hardware day-one full price if i can, and i've never pirated console games (and i don't play PC games outside of the occasional H-game)

The ethics and reality of piracy are vastly different from theft, as the monetary "loss" of piracy is as ephemeral as air, though i only tend to pirate anime (of the hentai and non-hentai variety), and more stuff i'll just find hosted illegitimately online (but never actually acquire), however that's often a matter of products that are not made readily available to me

A misconception about piracy is, its not piracy when the developers are not losing money.  Copyright infringement is copyright infringement regardless if the developers are losing money or not.  Yes you can argue the level of piracy is different. But a small pirate bashing on a big pirate still doesnt have much ground in ethics and reasonings. 

Dont tell me you say this to your professor, "uhh the author of this article is not losing money, so its not piracy and I dont need to cite or reference him..."

That will probably get you a big fat F on your essay.

And I am not trying to argue whether piracy is right or wrong. My beef with the people in this thread is: they think they are some kind of holy saint when they only pirate on the small stuffs just not games, as if games are all that matters in copyright infringement.

I think this fits in well here: