ARE ROMS ILLEGAL?

[jman55440]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[alancient]

no if you have got the original game!!!If you haven't it they're illegal!!!

[FatTrucker]

Unless a game was specifically released under license to be used as a rom with an emulator its illegal to use it with one regardless of whether you own it. In the same way buying an X-Box game doesn't give you automatic rights get the PS2 version for free.

For the most part all commercial games have never granted any licence to use them either freely or for payment with an emulator so any 'rom' of a commercial property is strictly speaking illegal. Most games copyright and IP is still owned by someone so there is technically also no such thing as abandonware.

Hope that helps.

[Jale]

no if you have got the original game!!!If you haven't it they're illegal!!!

Let me make this clear. It's true that it's not illegal if you have the original game, but ONLY if you dump/rip it by yourself. Downloading a game even if you have the original one is still illegal.

[FatTrucker]

It's true that it's not illegal if you have the original game, but ONLY if you dump/rip it by yourself.

Technically thats not true. When you purchase a game you obtain a limited license to use that software in its original form on the platform for which it was purchased, so even if you own and dump the game yourself technically its illegal for you to use it on anything other than the original hardware for which it was purchased.

[Jale]

Then you're contradicting yourself, but the word is technically.

[FatTrucker]

Then you're contradicting yourself, but the word is technically.

Yeh, theres a lot of scope in 'technically'.

Basically though for any noobs reading. Roms of any kind are a legal minefield to be tiptoed around if the scene is to survive, so read the rules and steer clear of discussion of, or requests for romsites. Its against the law and could get the site shut down so leave it alone. Thats all the information you need.

Incidentally, this site seems to get a lot more rom requests than other emu sites I visit. I know its in the forum rules but might it be worth the time putting a sticky at the top of each board re-iterating the 'no rom request' rule?