piracy

Is piracy allowed in islam ?assalaamualaikum,nowadays there is a huge development in the technology and internet world . The software available on the internet is way too expensive . So , people are using piracy and downloading and burning them to disc and using them . What is an Islamic perspective on that ? Also , is piracy allowed in Islamic books which are copyright protected but the person who wants to gain knowledge cannot afford it . There are also websites like http://www.islamictorrents.net and http://www.sunnitorrents.com which have tons of software and books and quran recitations which are copyright protected and are available on book stores with a price. They say that they are spreading knowledge but , isn't they causing loss to the business of the islamic bookstore ? What type of copying is allowed in islamic books ?