Preserving old games is illegal because it's 'hacking', according to the ESA

[nxwing]

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If it were up to the ESA, modifying my old NES is illegal. Image from Wikipedia.​

Do take note that this only applies in the US. The fate of other countries is not yet known.

Modifying games is illegal even if you own them, according to the ESA. They have stated that this is a form of hacking and should not be tolerated by the law. Preserving old games? That's illegal too! That's what the ESA says apparently. This means that ROM Hacks and unofficial translations are illegal, according to what the ESA has said.

The Entertainment Software Association wants to prevent the preservation of old games because it believes the process of restoring them is illegal 'hacking'.

Now, I do know that piracy is all bad and such but aren't they taking it too far? The said act which is the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s anti-circumvention provisions (Section 1201) prevents users from modifying games and other forms of media and putting them in museums is illegal. This too applies to other forms of entertainment such as art and books.

Full article at IGN

 

[migles]

when did programmed obsolesce become obligatory?

basically, if i have an old car, it's illegal to repair it, and i must get a new one?

 

[RevPokemon]

Preserving a 30 plus year old game which I legally bought and is no longer sold in anyway such as pan,eshop,etc and made by a defunct company that has been closed for 20 years can be considered illegal is beyond retarded


Also makes me wonder what will happen to the retron5?

 

[migles]

Also makes me wonder what will happen to the retron5?

didn't archive.org was offering a service to provide old games\emulators? just checked, yes i can play sega games on it, isn't that illegal?

 

[RevPokemon]

didn't archive.org was offering a service to provide old games\emulators? just checked, yes i can play sega games on it, isn't that illegal?

Who know? Maybe its legal to preserve via a license?

 

[FAST6191]

Awesome. I can hold my head higher at hacker conventions/conferences.

 

[the_randomizer]

Screw the ESA, I'm still keeping my backed up games. ;O;

Preserving a 30 plus year old game which I legally bought and is no longer sold in anyway such as pan,eshop,etc and made by a defunct company that has been closed for 20 years can be considered illegal is beyond retarded



Also makes me wonder what will happen to the retron5?

This is utterly asinine and completely unenforcable. There is no way they can stop people from doing what they've been doing lol. ESA can eat my shorts. There needs to be copyright exemptions to this.

 

[nxwing]

Screw the ESA, I'm still keeping my backed up games. ;O;



This is utterly asinine and completely unenforcable. There is no way they can stop people from doing what they've been doing lol. ESA can eat my shorts. There needs to be copyright exemptions to this.

EFF is doing its best to ask the Copyright Office to make exemptions for videogames. Hopefully they succeed

 

[the_randomizer]

EFF is doing its best to ask the Copyright Office to make exemptions for videogames. Hopefully they succeed

Definitely, they should be able to make exemptions. Oh and the ESA, yeah, they have too much power, and they can't enforce this on everyone, that, and people will just host more ROM/ISO sites outside US jurisdiction ESA can burn for all I care

 

[weiff]

Another very interesting thing that this prevents is porting games, unless by the original company or current copyright holder... of the software.

It takes no account of the owner of the IP either.

Oh well, guess no more cross platform games from third party studios....

 

[Bladexdsl]

what a bunch of fuck-tards

 

[RevPokemon]

Definitely, they should be able to make exemptions. Oh and the ESA, yeah, they have too much power, and they can't enforce this on everyone, that, and people will just host more ROM/ISO sites outside US jurisdiction ESA can burn for all I care

ESA supported copa/pipa and is funded by the companies so no wonder it supports it

 

[the_randomizer]

ESA supported copa/pipa and is funded by the companies so no wonder it supports it

I hope the ESA burns in hell and that the EFF and other good organizations get legal exemptions to this BS.


Oh and *plays the ROMs and ISO images on his HDD* lol

i guarantee every single one of these retards have never even played a game in their life. probably made up of whinging old bastards who have nothing better to do!

Fucking numskulls.

 

[Bladexdsl]

i guarantee every single one of these retards have never even played a game in their life. probably made up of whinging old bastards who have nothing better to do!

 

[RevPokemon]

I hope the ESA burns in hell and that the EFF and other good organizations get legal exemptions to this BS.


Oh and *plays the ROMs and ISO images on his HDD* lol




Fucking numskulls.

The MPAA and riaa also have a large part in this with their support of DMCA and what not tho.

 

[nxwing]

Good thing I'm not in the US *proceeds to play simpsons on mame*

 

[Bladexdsl]

and i'll happily keep using this bad boy!

 

[the_randomizer]

The MPAA and riaa also have a large part in this with their support of DMCA and what not tho.

Too bad, I'm still going to do it anyways, as will countless thousands of others who do the same. This isn't enforceable by any means lol. Bloody anti-backup sycophants.

*Continues to backup Wii games*

 

[sarkwalvein]

Excuse me for my naivety // ignorance, but I spent a full minute thinking why the hell would the European Space Agency have a word in this topic.

 

[nxwing]

Excuse me for my naivety // ignorance, but I spent a full minute thinking why the hell would the European Space Agency have a word in this topic.

Many people thought the same