How do you really compare a real world object with a digital one??

I'll say right now that I'm not all that familiar with digital copyright laws & specific issues.

It seems to me that saving a digital image for your own use w/o future public display or attempted profit is no different than if you receive a magazine and cut out the pictures (or articles) for your own use - whether it's just to save because you find it nice to look at (or read) or because you want to use it for some personal project (decoupage, homework display, scrapbooking, etc). I'd sure like to see that being labelled as stealing, have a copyright lawyer come and sue the pants off of whatever student is just trying to get an 'A' on a project or the mother creating a memories album for her children and see how that flies in the face of common sense....

And on that vein - I've jaunted over to the Paint Shop Pro forum every so often and it seems that one of the challenges/projects they have on an ongoing basis is an image that others are invited to save and modify w/their PSP program and repost it. It allows people to show off and share their visions, ideas, and post work skills.