Flashme is against the law.

Discussion in 'Other Flashing Hardware & Software' started by golden, Dec 1, 2007.

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  1. golden
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    golden What a Digital Dummy!!!

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    Is this true? Is flashme really illegal? I highly doubt it but I have been getting modded at other sites because I have talked about flashme. They say I have been modded for "illegal activities" but we are still allowed to talk about flash carts. I know flash carts aren't illegal but neither is flashme right?

    So is flashme really illegal? Or are they just making up BS?
     
    #1 Dec 1, 2007
  2. kellyan95

    kellyan95 Banned

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    Have you been reading The Times?
     
    #2 Dec 1, 2007
  3. golden
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    golden What a Digital Dummy!!!

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    Not really why?
     
    #3 Dec 1, 2007
  4. xcalibur

    xcalibur Gbatemp's Chocolate Bear

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    its the modification of the firmware on your ds console
    im pretty sure it says somewhere in the legal jumble that its illigal to do so
     
    #4 Dec 1, 2007
  5. golden
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    golden What a Digital Dummy!!!

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    That's odd. The bullet points under the "illegal activities" had nothing to do with firmware and that mumbo jumbo. It just said stuff about MP3s, ROMs, modchips, and media.
     
    #5 Dec 1, 2007
  6. spinal_cord

    spinal_cord Knows his stuff

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    As far as I know, bypassing the copy protection of ANY games console is illegal in most countries, not matter the reason you do it.

    I think (but am not sure) that the flashme file replaces your firmware with a hacked version, rather than hacking the firmware you already have, meaning that not only is it a case of circumventing copy protection it is also piracy (distributing copyrighted software without permission).

    But so far it seems that Nintendo have not legally challenged anyone for having flashed their DS.
     
    #6 Dec 1, 2007
  7. Doomsday Forte

    Doomsday Forte GBAtemp Maniac

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    Maybe flashme falls under a type of "modchip" thing despite the fact you're not really installing hardware itself.

    Lemme guess, you're a GBADEV refugee?
     
    #7 Dec 1, 2007
  8. T-hug

    T-hug Always like this.

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    Sounds like the gamefaqs ruleset to me.
    If flashme isn't illegal it's very boarderline. Hax at it's best.
     
    #8 Dec 1, 2007
  9. FAST6191

    FAST6191 Techromancer

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    EULA issues aside (which if anything would come under civil law and then more likely to be aimed at someone who provides a service) and maybe DMCA copy protection measures avoidance/evasion nonsense.

    Anyhow while I am no legal expert Noflashme (which is supposed to contain some of the original firmware) is about as close as you would get.

    Personally I would say it is overzealous moderation probably stemming from a desire not to get trouble (many companies fire DMCA, C&D, copyright notices..... like the rest of us breathe. These normally appear at a sites host (which have all the backbone of a worm for the most part)) and ignorance of flashme.
     
    #9 Dec 1, 2007
  10. Little

    Little I r Little

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    I'm under the impression that flashme is just a copy of the real firmware with some modifications, that'd make it illegal.
     
    #10 Dec 1, 2007
  11. golden
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    golden What a Digital Dummy!!!

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    You nailed it on the head. GFAQs kept deleting like every post I made.

    I have to say, this site is like paradise to me. It has EVERYTHING concerning the DS I could want and need. Great site guys.
     
    #11 Dec 1, 2007
  12. Doomsday Forte

    Doomsday Forte GBAtemp Maniac

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    Yet people outright talk about the R4 and having X game on it, yet nothing happens. Oh, double standards, where would we be without you?

    Seriously though. I'm not sure where the legality lies in terms of firmware, but all the same, I have the modded DS and the PassKey thing that I used before making the jump myself. Oops.
     
    #12 Dec 1, 2007
  13. golden
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    golden What a Digital Dummy!!!

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    You have a GFAQs account too? It is freaking ridiculous. The boards are littered with R4 topics and I even made a thread called "who buys games and who don't". In it I asked to say if you are a pirate or not. I was expected to get modded instantly but the thread is still their today. [​IMG] and I got modded for making a flashme topic and some karma taken.
     
    #13 Dec 1, 2007
  14. Doomsday Forte

    Doomsday Forte GBAtemp Maniac

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    Yeah, been there since...God, maybe Feb 2003? Yeah. Too freaking long for a place like that. [​IMG]

    To be honest, there's no point in going to the boards, but that's neither here nor there. It's a cesspool, let's treat it like one. [​IMG]

    I asked if you were from GBADEV since I made a topic there asking why Download Play doesn't work with a ROM I had, and I got warned for it, so I never came back--and I found myself here (first post!). How handy. It feels nice to freely talk about stuff like this, just so as long as you don't advertise or give links to downloading ROMs since that'd break the legality of this place. Stupid grey areas.
     
    #14 Dec 1, 2007
  15. roflmywaffle

    roflmywaffle Advanced Member

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    Technically, you're talking about borderline illegality. It skips the check for signed code for Slot 2 and RSA, so techinically it is circumventing encryption. Under US law, this violates the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, but it's more intended to go after people that somehow encourage that activity AND provide the means (files) to do so.

    If they copied any part of the Nintendo FW, it would be illegal due to copyright infringement. I don't know if FlashMe has any original code or if it is completely reverse engineered.
     
    #15 Dec 3, 2007
  16. L1G3RZ

    L1G3RZ Newbie

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    I got modded on GameFAQs for posting a link to RealHotStuff. 3KL [​IMG]
     
    #16 Dec 20, 2007
  17. arctic_flame

    arctic_flame GBAtemp ATMEGA8 Fan

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    To answer everyone's question, FlashMe is illegal, as it contains (albeit a slightly modified version of) copies of the Nintendo DS Firmware which is copyrighted by Nintendo.
     
    #17 Dec 20, 2007
  18. paul1991

    paul1991 Banned

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    Incorrect!
    The DS encryption for firmware was never cracked. The Cards were, but not firmware.
    Loopy simply coded a firmware that looks like the official firmware. If you check, you an see simple problems in early development that would not have occured if it had been a copy of the official.
    It my bypass the copyprotection of the DS, but it does not violate copy right laws.
    Err.

    EDIT: Just emailed Nintendo about it. It may come to nothing, but might as well.
     
    #18 Dec 20, 2007
  19. arctic_flame

    arctic_flame GBAtemp ATMEGA8 Fan

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    You're silly. loopy, even admitted it was illegal. He states it many times on gbadev.

    And the firmware's been decrypted for donkeys. It runs in no$gba too.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    EDIT: In the same place, it's also re-iterated that it is impossible very difficult to fit anything like the official firmware fit on the firmware chip, keeping it in the 256KiB boundary without losing the graphical interface. See FWNitro

    EDIT2: Also, no one has ever worked out how to re-create DS download play. Why is it in Flashme then?
     
    #19 Dec 21, 2007
  20. paul1991

    paul1991 Banned

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    First, how do I make NO$GBA display that menu? Thats cool.
    FWNitro has Dl Play, and many other features(MKDS track patch,ROM dumping) makeing a GUI a waste of precious space.
     
    #20 Dec 21, 2007
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