Video game archivists celebrate new victory in preservation of abandoned games

[chrisrlink]

well it seems another blow to the DMCA.... here is the breakdown

"
In a document published by the Library's Registrar, new exemptions to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act have been announced that will allow players and preservationists to alter games with defunct online servers in order to make them playable once again.

"Many modern video games — which may be played on a personal computer or a dedicated gaming console — require a network connection to a remote server operated by the game's developer to enable core functionalities," the document explains. Thus, when developers are no longer able or willing to maintain these servers, games — and gamers — suffer the consequences.

The Registrar concluded that "the record supported granting an exemption for video games that require communication with an authentication server to allow gameplay when the requisite server is taken offline." This means that, despite the DMCA's language blocking this kind of activity, fans, museums and libraries can now take necessary action to continue playing server-based games."

sorry if it's greek to me but from what I saw this makes Jailbreaking/hacking certain consoles for Archivist to use the hardware for retro games that passed their copyright date but not ones linked to current IP's that are still on going like Pokémon or Mario) if I'm wrong please correct me I also think it disallows Servers to close without certain conditions (could the Wii/NDS servers be coming back online?)

source


http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/games...of-abandoned-games/ar-BBmvrnS?ocid=spartandhp

 

[FAST6191]

I saw this earlier today and wrote elsewhere on it (not on GBAtemp though).

One of the Assassin's creed games quite notably had a type of DRM that streamed parts of the binary from a server at given points. I wonder how that plays out with the exceptions to the new exceptions.

 

[loco365]

So basically all the Wii and DS games are now allowed? TECHNICALLY that counts.

 

[FireEmblemGuy]

Pretty sure this wording really only allows for 'preservation' of games with always-on DRM (or alternatively, MMOs and such without active servers), and even then only after the servers have been shut down. Even then it doesn't seem to apply to games where online play wasn't necessary for the 'core game' - most DS/Wii/Xbox games had offline campaigns, etc.; only online-only games on those systems, should they exist, would be covered here, although it at least sets some sort of precedent to push forward with.

 

[Flame]

any good lawyer will bend this law which is still this grey area to fit how they like, always have always will.

 

[chrisrlink]

I read it more carefully and rather it seems to protect user based servers like Xlink for XBOX and whatever that one is (forgot the name) for the Wii/DS games AS LONG as it doesn't modify the server (ie allow game mods) also hacking follows under this rule (I think) to only allow modifying the server DNS's like the Wii server via HBC since you must modify the IP addresses to point to the user made servers

 

[DinohScene]

Oh please MS, release the source code for the original XBLive ;_;
Or release the TU's/DLC etc for the original Xbox for free.

 

[Margen67]

Oh please MS, release the source code for the original XBLive ;_;
Or release the TU's/DLC etc for the original Xbox for free.

But then they wouldn't be able to make an "HD" rerelease.

 

[_v3]

Does this mean that non-current expansion World of Warcraft private servers are legal??

 

[FAST6191]

I read it more carefully and rather it seems to protect user based servers like Xlink for XBOX and whatever that one is (forgot the name) for the Wii/DS games AS LONG as it doesn't modify the server (ie allow game mods) also hacking follows under this rule (I think) to only allow modifying the server DNS's like the Wii server via HBC since you must modify the IP addresses to point to the user made servers

I do not know where you got that reading from. The xlink kai stuff is a means of tunnelling LAN games (which were specifically mentioned at several points as being distinct to online, what I might argue there I do not know at this point as lag mitigation is a different beast) over a VPN where the wii/ds stuff was actually an emulation (or sufficient partial emulation) of a remote/online server, though as it did not seem to include any copyrighted data (from what I read it was a glorified handshake, lobby and means of transmission) it could get fun as many seemed to be more concerned with something like world of warcraft which has lots of good data on the server.
Modification of the server for cheats and mods did not factor into any of that.

 

[TeamScriptKiddies]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/the-new-dmca-rul..._source=gizmodo_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

"....
And there’s one that allows libraries museums and archives to keep playable versions of defunct video games—so long as no one can play them outside the physical building they’re housed in, and so long as these organizations are “are open to the public and/or are routinely made available to researchers who are not affiliated with the library, archives or museum.”

Private citizens can do the same thing, as long as the manufacturer has either said they’ve discontinued a game or haven’t provided support for the game for six months. But you better keep that playable copy to yourself on your home computer. You know, that game no one is selling anymore? You can’t share it with anyone outside your home.

These rules are so divorced from the reality of technology and how people interact with it, you have to wonder if the Library of Congress even knows what a computer is. More likely, instead of dismissing the arguments of large companies in favor of the letter of the law, these exemptions are designed to split the difference, with the end result being that they’re barely usable by the people who need them.

It’s nice that the exemption process exists, and getting a rule through at all is technically a “win,” but stop celebrating the wide-open spaces of copyright law. It’s still a disaster area."

Interesting.....far from ideal, but definitely a step in the right direction.

 

[DarkFlare69]

Does this mean we can download NES ROMs?.. I don't get it.

 

[Arras]

Does this mean we can download NES ROMs?.. I don't get it.

I think it means you can legally invite all your friends to play games on your physical NES in your house.

 

[DarkFlare69]

I think it means you can legally invite all your friends to play games on your physical NES in your house.

Are you joking?

 

[Arras]

Are you joking?

allows libraries museums and archives to keep playable versions of defunct video games—so long as no one can play them outside the physical building they’re housed in

But you better keep that playable copy to yourself on your home computer. You know, that game no one is selling anymore? You can’t share it with anyone outside your home.

I'm not entirely sure. I doubt it allows you to download anything and play it though. I think previously, companies may have had the right to say "no, you can't put this game in a museum" and now they can't anymore?

 

[Clydefrosch]

from what i understood, this is about cracking a game if, for example, before it required some kind of online activating that isnt existent anymore. or if it normally required a server connection to install at all. or to hack it so that it connects to a private server for online play. that stuff.

its not allowing piracy.

 

[DarkFlare69]

We need clarification, everyone is thinking different ideas.
TSK thinks it allows piracy
Arras thinks it allows u to play old games with ur friends
Clyde thinks it allows people to play games that dont activate with internet
I thought it allowed u to download old games

 

[cots]

It simply allows Museums to bypass any DRM in a game they are archiving for preservation purposes. An example would be a disc check that a game does to play aka a NO-CD patch/crack or an online disc check.

 

[DinohScene]

"piracy" is only good when games are in the public domain or are free to download from the original developer.
Always has been.

 

[FAST6191]

I merged the threads as it was more or less covering the same thing.