No moral difference between theft and piracy I REFER to the letter, "How computer piracy differs from theft", by Mr Kelvin Tan (ST, Jan 25). Mr Tan mentioned that the fundamental difference between digital goods (such as computer software) and cars or paintings is that the cost of replicating the former is almost zero or close to the current price that is being charged by illegal vendors in Sim Lim Square. I do not disagree on that point. However, I would like to point out that this does not make for a moral difference between piracy and theft. Theft is theft, regardless of the value of the item. Mr Tan also said that "in economics, where two or more consumers can consume as cheaply as one, without reducing the benefit to anybody, any attempt to charge a price beyond zero will not maximise social welfare". I would like to focus on the phrase "without reducing the benefit to anybody". In the case of piracy, the original producer's benefit is definitely affected as more people would have to buy original software if pirated ones were not available, even if some people decide not to purchase any. I'm glad that Mr Tan does not support computer piracy. However, the issue of piracy may not just be a matter of money. It could be indicative of the individual's, or perhaps even society's, willingness to compromise moral values. Perhaps Mr Tan is right in that we need to find an alternative to discourage piracy and, at the same time, reward the developers. However, I think it may be even more important to re-examine our values and attitudes on the issue of piracy. JANE LIM MEI CHOO