This is the sign o' the times -- pirates from just about anything that can be marketed electronically are making legitimate business models out of illegitimate goods (physical or virtual). I found this article to be quite humorous, since many of the tactics used by DVD movie pirates in this case mimic the strategy of the world's largest Internet retailer, Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN).

Hey, innovation is not just the refuge of the legit, right? Far from it -- some of the most successful criminal enterprises have been wrought with incredible innovation that would impress any businessperson -- and I've looked at quite a few in my time. Arab News reported on media pirates using SMS messaging and even websites to advertise their pirated catalogs earlier this year.

The piraters of DVDs have become even more advanced, with websites that have secure shopping cart services and online checkouts. In fact, also strinkingly similar to Amazon.com and other retailers is the fact that one of the most trafficked websites in pirated DVDs features movie summaries, profiles of actors, reviews, and a site search engine for speedy one-click shopping -- not to mention a selection of hundreds of titles.