Roms poll

[JAY]

If they no longer sell the game, I see nothing wrong in downloading the rom. They don't make anything even if I bought it on ebay, why should they care?

It doesn't matter what you see. It's against the law, plain and simple. This is a completely legal issue; there is no opinion involved here.

This compromises the integrity of the creator(s) and his/their product. You are benefitting from his/their work without his/their authorization, and therefore he/they cannot be compensated for his/their work. Purchasing used games is acceptable because he/they have already authorized the production of the product into purchasable copies, and were already compensated for each copy of the product with each initial purchase. The product itself always retains value, as the product can be reproduced and redistributed by the creator(s), and the rights to create and distribute the product can be sold to another party. Illegal distribution and use undermines the value of the product. The decision to permit any other distribution or use rests solely with the creator/rights holder, not with the consumer.

Thus, it is not your place to decide what you can or cannot do with the product if you are not the creator/rights holder.

I don't mind if people choose to break the law; that's their decision. What I can't stand are people who think that their petty opinions can somehow bypass explicit laws and regulations in order to justify their actions. Anyone can "see nothing wrong" when he has his eyes shut to the truth. (Some may be thinking of the breaking of corrupt laws, but this topic doesn't involve such a law. I won't bother explaining the conditions for such exceptions because they don't relate to this topic.)

[arfink]

Hmm, well, here is what I have to say: When I use the Roms online to fix partially working systems I make my own backup of the roms that work and run CRC checks to make sure what version I have. Usually I only have to replace 1 or 2 chips, but not the entire Rom set. I consider doing that about as illegal as downloading patches for software which are being hosted on a website other than the original companies website. If it's actually illegal, then that's news to me, and if that's the case than I am going to have to think long and hard whether I care about following copyright laws at all.

Edit: BTW Jay, do you know who wrote that GameFAQ article? I am going to do some investigating of my own on this subject, and see if I can find in the copyright laws where it says these things. You see, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act did not actually erase the old laws- that's the way law works. New laws don't remove old ones unless they specifically and explicitly state that they do. So I'm guessing I can find some loophole which would allow the replacement method that I use. Couldn't hurt to try.