PC Games section full of warez

[tueidj]

It seems a lot of the games in the PC section are full commercial titles (warez), many of which are still being sold online at various sites. For example:
Alone in the Dark 1 & 2 (GoG.com)
Star Control II (GoG.com)
Blood (GoG.com)
Descent 1 & 2 (GoG.com)
Doom 1 (Steam)
Doom 2 (Steam)
Duke3D (GoG.com)

I'm sure there's many more, those are just what I found within a few minutes of looking. Even the games that aren't being sold anywhere today are still copyright and should not be hosted; new "old" games appear on GoG all the time. I suggest the entire section be taken offline until the legality of each individual game is checked.

 

[Another World]

If the full versions are being posted on Filetrip and its Shareware then that's a problem.

you mean if its a cracked shareware/demoware? as in, the crack unlocks the demo into a full game?

-another world

 

[Rydian]

Well old shareware stuff was more like where the demo only gave you a level or two, and the full game simply included the rest of the files and you dropped them into the same folder, no crack or anything, they just assumed you wouldn't distribute the full thing if they told you not to.

Not like the games could be uploaded to mediafire in 0.5s flat back in the day anyways, it took more concentrated effort to share something like Epic Pinball.

 

[TripleSMoon]

No difference, but it almost seems like a lost cause to copyright IPs that will never be used by companies (existent and defunct) to generate revenue; like the Mother series. I personally don't care how and where people get ROMs or ISO images, that's their business.

I agree with you. I personally don't mind at all if people get legacy games that are no longer in production for free, copyright or not. However (and I mean this with all respect), I feel that this arbitrary difference between "popular" commercial games (SNES, Genesis, N64, GCN, etc) and old PC games is a major ethical contradiction on the part of GBAtemp.

 

[the_randomizer]

No difference, but it almost seems like a lost cause to copyright IPs that will never be used by companies (existent and defunct) to generate revenue; like the Mother series. I personally don't care how and where people get ROMs or ISO images, that's their business.

I agree with you. I personally don't mind at all if people get legacy games that are no longer in production for free, copyright or not. However (and I mean this with all respect), I feel that this arbitrary difference between "popular" commercial games (SNES, Genesis, N64, GCN, etc) and old PC games is a major ethical contradiction on the part of GBAtemp.

Agreed. There's a discrepancy that's all too obvious, but whatever.

 

[Foxi4]

Law aside, I don't see a problem with downloading ROM's and legacy software as long as you own the original copies. Say, you have a Gameboy game you like to play, but you don't necessarily want to hang out with a Gameboy and a stack of games - then you're entitled to your ROM's in my eyes. Unfortunately, the law is what the Temp should be concerned with most.

We live in a world of bureocracy and we can't exactly count on people's word - giving access to copyrighted files for free is wrong, regardless of their accessability on other mediums, and should be frowned upon on a site that tries to maintain its good image.

Now, I'm no saint and I won't lie - most of the games I play are pirated. I don't have the money to afford paying for games, and yet games are my passion which I am reluctant to stop fueling. That said, I acknowledge that what I'm doing is illegal rather than look for loopholes or some uplifting excuse for myself. When I do buy a game, it's one of the franchises I hold dear and collect, but I digress.

My point is that to avoid legal issues GBATemp's FileTrip should be free of all copyrighted content that's not Public Domain or Freeware, regardless of whether it's considered Abandonware or not. There are other channels to "get" those files and I don't see a need why GBATemp should provide them. This used to be a ROM site in the past, but that's the past. The site moved on, and so should we.

 

[TripleSMoon]

This used to be a ROM site in the past, but that's the past. The site moved on, and so should we.

I didn't know this.

 

[Foxi4]

I didn't know this.

The inner workings of GBATemp were simple - in the GBA days, links for ROM's were hosted on the page. They were often removed and rehosted, hence their temporary nature and hence the Temp in the name. Now, I don't remember those days - I discovered GBATemp in the DS era, but it's documented on the Temp's wiki.

 

[Ericthegreat]

I'm sorry but i bet 99% of ppl here at least at first got here learning how to get free games....

 

[TripleSMoon]

I'm sorry but i bet 99% of ppl here at least at first got here learning how to get free games....

That made me laugh. No, 99% of people did NOT come here first learning to get free games.

 

[Foxi4]

I'm sorry but i bet 99% of ppl here at least at first got here learning how to get free games....

That made me laugh. No, 99% of people did NOT come here first learning to get free games.

I'm with Eric on this one, my very first post was about softmodding my Wii, and I was not a whole lot into homebrew at that time.

Not gonna sugar-coat it, I'm a filthy pirate.

 

[TripleSMoon]

I'm with Eric on this one, my very first post was about softmodding my Wii, and I was not a whole lot into homebrew at that time.

I mean, I'm sure that a great amount of people came here first looking for free games, but I doubt it was 99%.

Not gonna sugar-coat it, I'm a filthy pirate.

Spoiler

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLMJpHihykI

 

[Jamstruth]

Well old shareware stuff was more like where the demo only gave you a level or two, and the full game simply included the rest of the files and you dropped them into the same folder, no crack or anything, they just assumed you wouldn't distribute the full thing if they told you not to.

Not like the games could be uploaded to mediafire in 0.5s flat back in the day anyways, it took more concentrated effort to share something like Epic Pinball.

I know. But if we're only disitrbuting those first 2 levels nobody can say we're doing anything bad.
I see the hypocrisy in this and think the offending downloads should be taken down. There's a billion places anybody with access to Google can find to get these things. By the logic here if the game has no release apart from one 20 years ago then we should be able to upload it. How about Pokemon Red? That isn't released anywhere but the Game Boy. It stopped being sold over 10 years ago. Surely that counts as Abandonware?
The fact remains that these are not fair game. They're still copyrighted IP.