Copyright is an exchange. The government protects content, for a limited time, in exchange for the "owner" releasing it into the public domain.
Though I've moved out of the US (too 3rd world for me), and the copyright laws here mean that if it's "not available" then you can't "steal" it. So, if the Game of Thrones isn't available on DVD, or on TV/cable, then it's legal to download/upload it.
If the content producer doesn't give you permission to view the content, then you don't have a legal right to view it.
The "owner" provably loses no money on the "theft", so shouldn't have any complaint, right?
It's not theft, so there is no comparison.
I don't agree with copytight law or patent law. Copyright law prevents people from using their own property in any way their wish to. E.g. Copyright law prevents me from using my pen and my paper to write out my fabourite novel. I don't think the state should have the power to tell me what I can do with my pen and my paper. A similar argument can be made with regards to bits in a computer.
But if someone has produced content and for whatever reason they don't want me to view it, then the honourable thing for me to do is to not view it. It's not about lawm, it's about ethics.