Lynn Winebarger, founder of Free-Expression.org, a project that aims to build a range of free video- and audio-streaming tools under a general public license, agrees. "To support [the BSA's] claim," he says, "they'd have to show that if all copyright infringement were stopped, their revenues would increase by $11 billion."

But these types of circuitous observations don't sit well with many content and application creators. These days, companies go to ever-more-extreme lengths to protect their handiwork. Microsoft's Windows 2000 operating system software has no fewer than three layers of antipiracy security: an edge-to-edge hologram on installation CDs (which makes them exceedingly difficult to counterfeit); a registration tag that is attached to the specific computer the software is installed on; and a controversial registration key code—half of which comes with the physical software bundle and half of which the licensee must contact Microsoft to get.

Industry associations go to a great deal of trouble to ferret out pirates. The RIAA considers pirate hunting to be "perhaps [our] most important mission." To that end, the organization expends considerable effort to track down and sue pirates big and small. The organization even asks consumers and businesses to rat on suspected music pirates by calling a piracy hotline. Those who turn in music pirates can score a reward as high as $10,000.

Beyond industry interest groups, companies such as NetRecovery Solutions of Ottawa, Illinois, and England's Copyright Control Services act as digital private investigators, scouring the Web for pirated content. According to David Powell, CEO of Copyright Control Services, business has never been better. "We're seeing a tremendous upsurge in piracy," he says. "What was a problem a year ago is a matter of compelling urgency today."

Because hackers tend to regard copy protection as an inviting puzzle, technology alone will never be the answer. The challenge for the content business will be balancing technological deterrence and enforcement of existing laws with the public's right to fair use—and with human nature. After all, there will always be those who'll do anything to get something for nothing.