TorrentSpy Hacker Spied on The Pirate Bay for MPAA > I think it's okay.

I think it's okay.

Because they intruded on someone else's privacy and property to protect their property. This isn't the same as a homeowner shooting a burglar in their own home. If they wanted or needed this evidence, the place to go would be the courts.

In the context of your example, this situation would be more like me hiring a neighborhood kid to break into your house to see if you stole my blender. Not only would both I and the kid face charges, but the evidence of the stolen blender would be inadmissable in any court, as it was acquired illegally.

I guess when you've got the cash you play by a separate set of rules, though.