GEST:
But from YouTube or an embedded YouTube video they cannot be pirated, stolen, or otherwise downloaded.

Just a quick comment: If you have RealPlayer Downloader (free) software on your computer, whenever you watch a YouTube (or any other)video using, say, FireFox, RealPlayer Downloader kicks in and opens up a window asking whether you want to download it.

So it is possible to download material from YouTube - which I do from time to time, but purely for self-interest. I do NOT redistribute them in any way.