Atari/majesco/Mistic Software violate GPL by stealing ScummVM

[zidane_genome]

Here's the dumbed down version...

Atari hired Majesco, who hired Mistic Software to remake the old PC Engine games...

Mistic Software took ScummVM, tossed in the original "ROMS", and gave it to Majesco. Majesco used the Nintendo SDK to package them up into a nice little disc image, and gave it to Atari. Atari gave the image to Nintendo, and said "yea, we made this".

Someone uses WiiScrubber on the games. See's ScummVM inside, and tells the ScummVM team. ScummVM team contacts Atari. Atari lawyers get in a huff because they think ScummVM team want's money. Team says "We just want credit on the box". Atari says, "whoa, ok, cool."

Atari lawyers look over the SDK agreement from Nintendo, and finds it can't use "homebrew" (open source) software legally. Atari strikes a deal with Team.

All games that contain ScummVM can be sold until a certian date. After that date, Atari MUST buy back every copy not sold. If copies of the game are sold retail after the deadline, Atari agree's to pay a fine for each copy sold (probably $10,000 or more)

It wasn't Atari who used ScummVM. It was Mistic Software being lazy fucks... they passed it off to Majesco, who didn't know any better, who then in turn passed it on to Atari.

 

[Another World]

I wouldn't say ScummVM is an emulator, IIRC ScummVM is more like an engine for point-and-click games. It's kind of like MUGEN is to fighters and RPG Maker to RPGs.

It allows amateur game creators to create a point & click adventure without having to code the game engine from the ground up.

From Scummvm.orgScummVM is a program which allows you to run certain classic graphical point-and-click adventure games, provided you already have their data files. The clever part about this: ScummVM just replaces the executables shipped with the games, allowing you to play them on systems for which they were never designed!

Some of the adventures ScummVM supports include Adventure Soft's Simon the Sorcerer 1 and 2; Revolution's Beneath A Steel Sky, Broken Sword 1 and Broken Sword 2; Flight of the Amazon Queen; Wyrmkeep's Inherit the Earth; Coktel Vision's Gobliiins; Westwood Studios' The Legend of Kyrandia and games based on LucasArts' SCUMM (Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion) system such as Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle, Sam and Max and more. You can find a thorough list with details on which games are supported and how well on the compatibility page. ScummVM is continually improving, so check back often.

Among the systems on which you can play those games are Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, Dreamcast, PocketPC, PalmOS, AmigaOS, BeOS, OS/2, PSP, PS2, SymbianOS and many more...

Our forum and IRC channel, #scummvm on irc.freenode.net, are open for comments and suggestions. Please read our FAQ before posting.

-another world

 

[geoflcl]

ScummVM is a program which allows you to run certain classic graphical point-and-click adventure games, provided you already have their data files. The clever part about this: ScummVM just replaces the executables shipped with the games, allowing you to play them on systems for which they were never designed!

Some of the adventures ScummVM supports include Adventure Soft's Simon the Sorcerer 1 and 2; Revolution's Beneath A Steel Sky, Broken Sword 1 and Broken Sword 2; Flight of the Amazon Queen; Wyrmkeep's Inherit the Earth; Coktel Vision's Gobliiins; Westwood Studios' The Legend of Kyrandia and games based on LucasArts' SCUMM (Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion) system such as Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle, Sam and Max and more. You can find a thorough list with details on which games are supported and how well on the compatibility page. ScummVM is continually improving, so check back often.

Among the systems on which you can play those games are Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, Dreamcast, PocketPC, PalmOS, AmigaOS, BeOS, OS/2, PSP, PS2, SymbianOS and many more...

Our forum and IRC channel, #scummvm on irc.freenode.net, are open for comments and suggestions. Please read our FAQ before posting.

They're saying it's an emulator without actually saying it's an emulator.

And as a result, Atari/Infogrames/Idiots, Inc. is treating them like a real company???