Well, "pirated" is probably not the right word for anything less than armed robbery of a boat. But lately it's been used as a synonym of "copyright infringement", so maybe it applies.
In the context of software, "piracy" has come to mean downloading and distributing copyrighted material. And I think it's fine to use it for that, even though it doesn't happen on the high seas (usually?).
But this is more like plagiarism, although I'd be fine with calling it stealing or theft, which have a pretty broad meaning colloquially.
I mean, theft is theft, right, whether it's 9 songs, more than 3 sentences or an image. And using the image to make money, that compounds the theft, just like getting caught with lockpicks during a burglary.
We have many important, wealthy sources saying that, so you can believe it.
"Pirated" is commonly used as a simple synonym for "stolen" these days. Common usage has shorn "pirated" of any nuance or connotation. Saying "Theft is theft" means that asking for a more nuanced verb than "pirated" in this situation amounts to excusing theft.
Please excuse me for invoking a phrase that Sony itself (possibly through it's RIAA mouthpiece) uses in precisely the same context for its irony value. I should not have attempted the use of a subtle and low-energy communication modality like irony.
