This is a pretty controversial topic, and yea, the source is a bit biased (being torrentfreak). But this isn't the first time this has come up. Piracy is pretty much a daily activity for many users. Even people who aren't aware they are doing it.
As a game developer, I find it's a double-edged sword. One side, you get increased visibility, promotion, etc. And people will find, play, enjoy, and then return for your later work. On the other, you "lose" sales and don't make any money off it. Though, that isn't always the case. Minecraft, for instance, had many players who first pirated the game. And the developer, Notch, actually encourages the behavior for those who can't afford many games.
What are everyone's thoughts on this? Are you for, or against piracy? And do you think these studies have any weight?
I firmly believe that if someone torrents a piece of entertainment, they wouldn't have bought it in the first place due to a lack of money/ethics/etc if torrenting hypothetically did not exist. If anything, torrenting encourages the user to buy the piece if the user has a good experience with it. If the user doesn't have a good time with the torrented material, then they can simply delete it without any remorse for buying something they didn't enjoy.