I do this funny thing where I buy an ebook and then turn around and.. uh.. "acquire" a copy of the same book.
The purchased ebook may never get opened.
A significant amount of piracy is not to avoid paying, it's to get a functional product that I can actually keep backed up and have across all my devices.
Ditto. I own a great many movies on physical media, and then have digital pirated copies that I actually watch. These digital copies are much easier to store, can be viewed on pretty much any device with no hassle or setup, and are easy to share with friends and family without depriving myself of my own copy. I already paid for a copy of the films once (sometimes twice!) so I don't feel particularly guilty about downloading copies for more practical use. If they want me to stop doing this they should provide a better service.
The purchased ebook may never get opened.
A significant amount of piracy is not to avoid paying, it's to get a functional product that I can actually keep backed up and have across all my devices.