I always feel all kinds of different things about this issue. On the one hand, stealing is wrong, and people shouldn't steal. If you have a program that you absolutely need to do whatever it is you do, then pay for it. Period.
However, these programs also cost way too much. There is no way in hell that Cubase is worth $600. Even $500 is way too much. I mean, FruityLoops does 80% of what Cubase does, but it costs $99. It doesn't record audio, spot to film, or sync to timecode, and those are big issues for some people. But is recording audio worth $400? I could buy at least two really fantastic apps for recording audio at that price, and still have cash left over for a nice ($39) Fruity softsynth or sampler.
In addition, when you buy FruityLoops for $99, you get free LIFETIME upgrades. This is something that every company should do. They way Fruity gets added revenue is therefore twofold: 1) their users stick to the platform (because they get exciting new features every 6 months or so), and because their users stick to the platform, their word of mouth recommendations are very high; 2) they sell a bunch of additional toys and tools, like synths, sample players, and add-on-utilities, as extra cost options for between $19-$39.
These other companies just screw people. I know they claim it is due to piracy, and I'm sure piracy affects their bottom line in real ways. Having worked for digidesign, I know that there are a lot more plugins out there in use than are paid for, even by "name" producers and engineers. But how many more "normal" people would own legitimate copies of Cubase if it was $200 instead of 500? I for will not buy or install products like this that cost so much, and require periodic, extremely expensive compulsory upgrades. This is the same reason that even though I write technical manuals for a living, I will not buy or install Adobe products on my home machine. I always insist on getting a company laptop and company-licensed software. Why? Compulsory upgrades, that's why. Adobe releases a new version of their flagship products (Photoshop and Illustrator) every year like clockwork. And the upgrade price for a registered user is (I believe) $249. Anyone who follows this knows what a rip off it is. The differences between Photoshop 5.0, 5.5. and 6.0 were incredibly slight. I mean, there were differences, but it's not like 1/3 of the functionality was new. Yet for each upgrade, the price was 1/3 of the cost of totally new software.
This, to me, is something I look at when I purchase software. Not how much does it cost and how useful is it right now, but how much will it cost me over time...
And by the way, SCI, you are doing the late great company SCI (Sequential Circuits Incorporated) a great disservice by using their name. Grow up and pay for your shit. Better yet, go get FruityLoops and n-Track, improve your skills, and learn a thing or two.