While I don't have an issue at all with people who choose to pirate high-priced software from big corporations, stealing smartphone software from a small-business developer seems like kind of a sleazy way to save a couple of bucks. But people do it all the time, and it's pretty easy to find that stuff.
That said, though, I lose some respect for developers who copy-protect their apps, because it restricts my ability to make a backup ... and it doesn't do a bit of good anyway, if you look at the piracy sites. So I had no issue at all with finding "backup" copies of those paid-for apps for my use until the final 2.1 is released.
The maddening thing, though, is that I had a couple of FREE apps (Analogy clock, A Online Radio) that disappeared from the store when I upgraded due to their copy protection. And since they were free, no one ever bothered to pirate them. Why would a developer copy-protect a free app??