Michael Robinson schreef: > Speaking of abandonware, all the Nintendo games for the original > 8 bit system fit that description now. Should anyone distribute > what is the definition of abandonware anyway? and why would it be legal if it did fit the description? to my knowledge Nintendo is using some download system for the Wii computers to allow playing older games from all kinds of their old platforms. Also some 8bit titles have found their way to the portable systems (Gameboy) a few years ago. Think it was Zelda II and a few others. Where's Nintendo and 3rdparty author's (Konami for Metal Gear or Castlevania for example) claims that you can do with their 8bit titles whatever you want? > an emulator to run the old games on PC's? Should anyone distribute > instructions on how to get a rom image of an old game so a person > can play it on his/her PC? Would it be wrong for someone to set > This would be allowed yes, just sharing information. Emulators (ZSNES/SNES9x for 16bit SNES system for example) are also allowed..how you get the ROMs is your own problem. Getting a ROM image might be as stricts as "*only you* may personally create this backup, and only if you own the cartridge with the licensed ROM on it". Dutch system allows to visit a library, hire some media, and make the backups yourself. Letting someone do it for you is illegal again however. > up an ftp site where you can download old 8 bit Nintendo games > and play them on your PC? > And this not as you're distributing someone else's copyrighted works without their permission. > How about games made for the Tandy Color Computer 3 by Diecom Products? > That company is now defunct and has been for a very long time. You > can download disk images of Guantlet II. Is that really illegal? > Strictly, yes, until copyright has expired. > MS-DOS and Windows 3.x are clearly abandonware. If I want to use this > abandonware, am I suddenly breaking the law? I think there is a huge > difference between using abandonware verses trying to profit from it. > Microsoft and resellers are no longer selling and supporting these programs. As Blair mentioned, get an original copy from Ebay (if MS and/or the law at all allow reselling their licensed software by end-users) > Hopefully if you want to sell software, you are smart enough to clean > room create you own code and secure your rights to it. > > Aitor, you think piracy is a black and white issue. It is not. Busting > Grandma for downloading a commercial song she bought a CD of at the > local store is a travesty. > That's still an opinion, not the current copyright law. And in court, only the judge's interpretation of the law counts, not yours or mine. I'd like to agree on this though with you..free DVD/blueray if you already own the VHS version of a movie as you got a license for the movie.
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