I agree that stealing just isn't the right term, and perhaps more relevantly the laws of most countries would seem to agree with me (Although the American government seem to be trying to make it worse which seems a little strange to me).
That's not to say that I think the indescriminant copying of somone elses intelectual property is justifiable, but I can't say I think it's any more reprehensible than using an established possition of power to dictate the terms under which people may use a product they have paid for. You can't stop someone from loaning thier friend a book. You can't say that people need to buy another copy of a DVD if more than one person is going to sit down and watch it. You can't sell someone a family sedan and then forbid them from ever using it to transport anyone outside of thier family. What if all the dairy companies lobbied to make it illegal for people to use store bought yougurt to culture thier own yougurt from milk? What if they demanded a levy on milk sales to make up for thier lost yougurt money? Logic would dictate that they get laughed out of court, but histroy would suggest that, in the US at least, they'd get exactly what they wanted as long as they had the money to grease the right palms.
Yes people need to be paid for the content they create, otherwise where is the motivation to create more. But to give wide reaching rights to control other peoples useage of a product to a group with a vested interest in milking the viewing/listening public for all they can get is stupid, shotsighted and disrespectful of those peoples rights.