Old games to play on computer

[Waldo 96]

According to Sega themselvs, if a company doesn't defend their copyrights when they are fully aware of them being "breached" they loose the right to have them.

 

In what universe do Sega write the law?

 

In any case, I'd dispute the validity of this. Where is written down in law, that a company (or person?) not defending their copyrights, when aware of them being breached, loses them?

 

Sounds like bull to me.

 

This reasoning was used when they sent the cease and desist order to the Spanish guys that remade 'Streets of rage'.

 

This reasoning was made by who? Sega? A court?

 

And people are talking about illegally downloading spectrum games? illegal? what are you, high?

 

Why would I be high? (sugar rush from too many Jam donuts, perhaps).

 

All I'm saying is that it's just as illegal to pirate older games, as it is new games.

 

Of course, if you buy older games in some form, where all the appropriate permissions by rights holders have been granted, then you're legit. If you're using an emulator and downloading roms willy-nilly, that's just as illegal as pirating a modern game.

 

The forum is inconsistent, in that it allows discussion of some forms of piracy, but not all.

 

NOTE TO MODS: How old do games have to be, before we can discuss ways to pirate them?

[MC Spyda 10]

Why attract the mods attention to threads like these? Do you really care that much? All what will happen is that all threads of these types will be deleted, just because you are trying to prove some point or other.

[segasonic 11]

Amiga forever was once a commercial app

 

Just because it's a commercial app, doesn't automatically mean it's legal.

 

Amiga Forever is still a commercial app, and as far as I know it's totally legal.

[Waldo 96]

Why attract the mods attention to threads like these? Do you really care that much? All what will happen is that all threads of these types will be deleted, just because you are trying to prove some point or other.

 

Well yeah, in some ways, I shouldn't concern myself with what other people get up to, that's generally an unwise investment of time and energy.

 

I do like consistency though, and clarity; and feel if it were more clearly defined, what we are and are not allowed to dicuss here, then so much the better for everyone. On this particular issue, it seems rather fuzzy to me, what the forums policy actually is.

 

I know I wasn't allowed to discuss cracking iOS apps recently (my intention being to crack and distribute my own legal IP, as part of broader anti-piracy strategy). The reason I was given, being that such discussion would facilitate others to illegally obtain iOS apps (which atually makes sense, and I think is a good thing).

 

I imagine, ultimately, it comes down to which dicussions could potentially land the forum in legal hot-water. The motivation being self-preservation. So a blind eye is turned to the discussion of certain illegal activity (so long as there is no possible legal come-back against the forum).

[Waldo 96]

Amiga Forever is still a commercial app, and as far as I know it's totally legal.

 

Yep, it may well be.

 

I don't doubt there are such things, where they've packaged a number of older games together, and gotten appropriate permissions from rights owners etc.

[MC Spyda 10]

Well yeah, in some ways, I shouldn't concern myself with what other people get up to, that's generally an unwise investment of time and energy.

 

I do like consistency though, and clarity; and feel if it were more clearly defined, what we are and are not allowed to dicuss here, then so much the better for everyone. On this particular issue, it seems rather fuzzy to me, what the forums policy actually is.

 

I know I wasn't allowed to discuss cracking iOS apps recently (my intention being to crack and distribute my own legal IP, as part of broader anti-piracy strategy). The reason I was given, being that such discussion would facilitate others to illegally obtain iOS apps (which atually makes sense, and I think is a good thing).

 

I imagine, ultimately, it comes down to which dicussions could potentially land the forum in legal hot-water. The motivation being self-preservation. So a blind eye is turned to the discussion of certain illegal activity (so long as there is no possible legal come-back against the forum).

 

I don't think they do it on purpose if that's any consolation. Generally speaking, this part of the forum is nowhere near the mods areas of expertise. I and other users could talk about all sorts of technological issues that are completely illegal and most of the mods wouldn't have the foggiest.

[Waldo 96]

I don't think they do it on purpose if that's any consolation. Generally speaking, this part of the forum is nowhere near the mods areas of expertise. I and other users could talk about all sorts of technological issues that are completely illegal and most of the mods wouldn't have the foggiest.

 

Yeah, I imagine you're spot on there, and I really shouldn't get worked up by such things. I'm gonna duck out of this thread now. Take the dog for a walk (need to work of this donut sugar rush ... 9 in one day is too many).

[sccsux 10]

Yeah but they're naughty, as they're illegally downloaded.

 

Not all. Some have been released by the SW houses.

 

Runs on windows 7 and is portable.

 

Or look here.

 

Downloading and playing roms of old games, is just as much a breach of copyright, as downloading and playing games on iOS or any other modern hardware.

 

Depends on the machine being emulated. The Speccy ROM has been released by Amstrad, most of the SW that was available for it has been released too.

 

Cool. Did they get persmission from the rights owners BEFORE they started distributing their games?

 

I'm pretty sure they ask first:).

 

All I'm saying is that it's just as illegal to pirate older games, as it is new games.

 

But not in most of the games for the Spectrum as the companies concerned have (mostly) given permission to distribute. Hell, Gremlin gave a user on here distribution rights for most of it's catalogue of Speccy games back in the late 90s;).

[Ghozer 112]

no games are in the public domain yet, (other than those originally created and released as PD)

 

it's a minimum of life of creator+70 years before they are PD, while most things, it's 120 years...

 

they are however classed as Abandonware... ( link ) and while it's still 'unlawful' to download and distribute, it would not be financially viable for any company (if they still even exist) to persue...

 

-- this is my understanding of it atleast, and i'll allow this thread as long as it sticks with RETRO games (Spectrum, Amiga etc) And there's no talk of Roms or Rom distribution (as that IS illegal, just like distributing an Amiga Kickstart rom is still illegal)

[sccsux 10]

And there's no talk of Roms or Rom distribution (as that IS illegal)

 

Not so in the case of the Spectrum (Amstrad has allowed distribution of the Speccy ROM).

[Rich 12]

Anyone know another good Speccy emulator that runs on Windows 7 and is mobile? I can't get that Spectrum4 .NET thing to work, I've registered it and input the registration code, but it still won't work.

[sccsux 10]

Anyone know another good Speccy emulator that runs on Windows 7 and is mobile? I can't get that Spectrum4 .NET thing to work, I've registered it and input the registration code, but it still won't work.

 

Try here.

 

I personally use Spin (though no idea if it works on 7 though) which requires no installation (so can be used in portable form - run from memory stick/CD etc).

Edited June 11, 2011 by sccsux