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[U.2.K. Tha Greate$t]

" Is abandoware really illegal ? "

If so, how do you explain all the abandonware sites still being up, seems to be there is a big difference in abandonware and warez.

I run my own board which is base on abandonware gaming, but i dont share abandonware games. I run my site which i do share old abandonware games. I also was one of the biggest uploaders on suprnova when that site was around, but i only was sharing abandonware games. I made a few phone calls to 3 different gaming companies sometime last year, and nobody seem to know anything about abandonware, infact they told me its ok to share thier old games, but if someone from their company contacts me, do what is told.

Seems like abandonware is really legal, thier rules, discontinue games, or 3 - 5 year old games or non-supported games. Keep in mind yall, alot of laws that are in this world, dont make any sense, but see alot of people dont bother to explain them or sit down and really look into them, and thats the problem we have here kids.

 

[Deleted member 1235]

I have no idea. but I'm comfortable with your stance.

 

[Doth Togo]

Abandonware is a bad justification for piracy.

Copyrights last 95 years. So, that game that was made in 1985 that's not sold on the market anymore... it's still illegal to pirate it. It's also punishable by law. And yes, companies do go after abandonware hosts.

All the legalese aside, many companies like to rerelease games years after the original release date. Abandonware isn't abandoned any more now, is it?

Many of the abandonware sites are very much known to the industry and very bad things will happen to those sites in the near future. The proof will be what's to come soon.

 

[JPRaup]

ya, basically just a good excuse to pirate. Any game that is not freeware and you acquired it without purchasing is warez. and thats ok with me

 

[U.2.K. Tha Greate$t]

So if someone pays 50 bucks for a game, and 3-4 years roll past, the maker of the game, still has the right to tell you what to do and what not to do with the game he is selling to the world?

 

[JPRaup]

ummmm....yes

 

[Doth Togo]

Question: Isn't it OK to copy games that are no longer distributed in the stores or commercially exploited?

Answer: No, the current availability of a game in stores is irrelevant to its copyright status. Copyrights do not enter the public domain just because the works or products they protect are no longer commercially exploited or widely available. Therefore, the copyrights of games are valid even if the games are not found on store shelves, and copying or distributing those games is a copyright infringement.

Question: Haven't the copyrights for old games (like Atari & Commodore) expired?

Answer: U.S. copyright laws state that copyrights owned by corporations are valid for 95 years from the date of first publication. Because video and computer games have been around a little more than three decades, the copyrights of all video and computer programs will not expire for many decades to come.

Question: Some noobs think that people making emulators and ROMs are helping publishers by making old games available that are no longer being sold by the copyright owner. They say that this does not hurt anyone and allows gamers to play old favorites. What's the problem?

Answer: The problem is that it's illegal to make or distribute software or hardware emulators or ROMs without the copyright or trademark owners' permission. Moreover, copyrights and trademarks of games are corporate assets that are sometimes sold from one company to another. If these titles are available far and wide, it undermines the value of this intellectual property and adversely affects the copyright owner.

In addition, the assumption that the only games involved are vintage or nostalgia games is incorrect. Many popularly available emulators emulate current game systems. In other words, in many cases, emulator/ROM piracy is affecting games that are still on the market.

Finally, in the current highly competitive market, a top quality game costs millions of dollars to develop, and sometimes double or triple its development costs to market. Software publishers must generate a meaningful return on their investments if they are to continue to meet the growing demand for technologically advanced products. The suggestion that some piracy is benign and not harmful undermines respect for the intellectual property rights on which software companies depend in investing millions of dollars in creating and publishing new games. Piracy of any kind on any scale erodes this foundation.

Question: What gives the copyright owner the authority to enforce United States copyrights outside of the U.S.?

Answer: U.S. copyrights are protected and enforceable in over 100 countries that have signed the Berne Convention, the TRIPs Agreement and/or have entered into in bilateral accords with the U.S. The Berne Convention and TRIPs Agreement set international standards for the protection of intellectual property rights. Therefore, a game from a U.S. publisher is automatically protected in most countries and we have every right to enforce our copyrights under local laws.

 

[Ecrofirt]

Doth, all that is moot if you've contacted the company like the original poster has.

 

[Doth Togo]

Doth, all that is moot if you've contacted the company like the original poster has.

Contact the ESA as we represent the game publishers' copyright and trademark interests,. Many times the publishers are not aware of their own legal rights regarding copyright. Marketing people, who get a majority of these kinds of inquiries, aren't lawyers and have been fired for their lack of protocol.

Seriously, just call us. No big.

 

[Ecrofirt]

Contact the ESA as we represent the game publishers' copyright and trademark interests,. Many times the publishers are not aware of their own legal rights regarding copyright. Marketing people, who get a majority of these kinds of inquiries, aren't lawyers and have been fired for their lack of protocol.

Seriously, just call us. No big.

That's something I'll agree with you on. Most marketing people don't know jack.

If I were to take the high ground though, and contact the president of the company and he didn't give a rats ass, the ESA could fuck off.

Not like that would happen, though.

 

[U.2.K. Tha Greate$t]

Now as i mention most laws in this world that has been thought up by the works of men, dont make sense. Let me ask another question.

" Why is cigarettes legal and Marijuana illegal, shouldnt they both be illegal?

 

[U.2.K. Tha Greate$t]

" Why is porn good for those over 18 and bad for those under 18 "?

 

[U.2.K. Tha Greate$t]

I also wanna point out that , that um i am above the law, because i can expose alot of people and things in this world. Pay attention to the last questions hhahaha, the world aint knowing.

peace. :lol

 

[Fatghost]

This guy is a joke character who posted a thread in the Gaming forum where he said he is going to bring back the Dreamcast. It's a funny read.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

"Do you like Huey Lewis?"

 

[Late Stage Marxist]

If it's OOP then I say fair game, but a lot of classics actually have jewel case editions (like Lucasarts).

 

[Rabid Wolverine]

"conichiwa bitches"

 

[bjork]

" Why is porn good for those over 18 and bad for those under 18 "?

Do you mean to watch, or to star?