Agreed, but viewing is not stealing, either, is it?
Well, it's illegal. I don't know if it's morally right or wrong. But, imagine if you were the producer of Pawn Sacrifice and spent millions of your dollars on the film. Would you want people watching it for free online while it was still in the theaters?
I don't know of any law making viewing or listening to art illegal. And yes, I have no problem watching a film online that is in the theaters if it is made available online. I paid to watch Gone With The Wind in a theater years ago even though I could watch it online for free. If something is in the theater which is made available online then I may watch it depending on my interest. A huge bulk of the millions of dollars spent on films is for advertisement. The film gets funded through advertisement of products, or the film itself constitutes a product which advertises whatever company is distributing it, etc., etc. I advertise it if I like it, for free. I even advertise it for not liking it. Just by talking about it I'm advertising it, and so we're all involved in making the film some money in the long run:)
I stand corrected. The person offering the film for "viewing" is the one breaking the law. Splitting hairs...
It's not so simple however I think incantevoleutopia is trolling a bit and knows piracy does cost artists some money.
Did you listen to the idiot called Steve Albini and what he's got to say about the music biz? By the way, do you face the problem of people not buying your records because they download every note you play/sing or you're defending the industry because you work in some office?