I've asked WOTC legal dep. on their official position on the issue and passed them the link to this thread. If I receive an answer, I will post it in the "copyright infringement" thread.

IMHO, I don't think the devaluation of any item (D&D books or not) due to people stealing copyrights can ever be considered a good thing no matter what circumstance it is under. Stealing is stealing, regardless the color you want to paint it. I don't think there is a line you can straddle and say well since it is a lower value item and the market was too high for it, then its okay to steal its copyright. The market is what should place the value of the item regardless of the rarity or quality of it. If the market dictates at a given moment in time that an item is of a particular value then so be it, and loss of value due to "fakes" being produced is just flat out wrong. In the end the only ones who win with copyright theft are the thieves themselves and no one else.