Firstly, Dom, those warez sites exist because they operate in countries that DO NOT abide by international copyright law. You, on the other hand are based in Italy, correct?

Secondly, whether they avoid prosecution or not, even YOU acknowledge that they ARE breaking the law (at least of civilized countries).

As to not caring that your own soundbank has been sampled, well, perhaps you would care a lot more if you had actually payed a LOT of money to have it developed. But from the sound of it, you didn't... Do you honestly expect us to believe that if you had spent the millions that the Big 3 have on sound development (they didn't get their sounds by going out and cloning YOUR keyboard, for sure!) that you would be happy about it? LOL

And just because someone ELSE is a thief does NOT make it OK for everyone to be one... If someone murders you, should we forgive them because other murderers sometimes get away with it? Wrong is wrong, whether it is 'legal' or protected by rogue nations that do not respect international law.

If the chinese copied all your chips, hardware and software, and started manufacturing a hardware Mediastation at a fraction of the price of your keyboard, would you THEN still be in favor of 'cloning'? Or do you think that protection of intellectual property (your design for the hardware of the MS) is important? This is a very different issue if YOU are the one being copied, eh, Dom?

Me, I see NO difference between the DESIGN of an arranger, and the sounds and styles it contains, especially if you had payed a fortune for BOTH to be developed. Sadly, you have nothing emotionally or financially invested in your own soundbank (understandably, from listening to it!) and seem to think that you have 'friends' at Yamaha Remember, the soundset for the T2 was NOT developed by your 'friends' in Italy, at least in the most part. Perhaps you would like to contact the team that DID develop the drum kits, or the piano samples, or the orchestral voices, or ANY of the included ROM (primarily, Yamaha Japan), and ask them if THEY consider themselves your 'friends'? LOL

And you completely misstate and misunderstand my position. I have NO opposition to an 'open' keyboard. I have said many times that when the soundset and styles finally become competitive, I would be interested in one. But I have also posted MANY times that I think you ought to (LEGALLY) license some of the better VSTi's and GIGA soundbanks (developed by skilled programmers, not cloners!) and have a coherent, 'better than T2' soundset that styles could be developed for.

But rather than deal with that, and the expense and time of it (which all the hardware manufacturers HAVE to), your response is to give up on a 'better than T2' soundset, and just resort to piracy. And piracy of a product you claim is 'inferior' to your arranger! It's hard to justify that when the only way your MS is competitive with a hardware arranger is to clone it!!

Sadly, all your arguments have holes in them big enough to drive a bus through, Dom. All you are saying to justify your actions is, basically, 'THAT thief got away with burglary, so it MUST be OK..! O.J. got away with murdering his wife, why shouldn't I?'. Ethics go hand in hand with a successful company, and unfortunately, yours don't inspire ANY confidence. If you are willing to steal from your competition, why not your customers?

Free updates FOREVER doesn't sound so promising, now, do they..? If you decide 'well, THIS company promised it, and afterwards changed their minds and got away with it, so why can't I?'. Or 'this company no longer respects it's warranty, and got away with it, so why shouldn't I?'... You see where this leads, Dom?

Me, I may just be a 'beach musician of older generation', but I don't have to steal ANYTHING to make a living...