www.theoldcomputer.com

First of all, hi everyone!

What a nice place this is and thanks for the opportunity of sharing so many awesome console games.

Trout, I'm also thinking about setting up a (solely) DOS-Classic game website, including 100's to 1000's of available DOS game downloads.

How do you pack up with the legalty issues here?

Thanks in advance,

Stijn

That is always a sticky subject. To be honest I take the view that if the system in question has no commercial value any more, in other words noone is left buying games for it, then it is ok to preserve it. This is not the view of many of the game makers (understandably). I do also understand that some companies build a brand around a game character or theme and then want to protect this seperatly which is fair enough.

I put up everything that I can find that is considered dead or past commercial viability. After that if I get asked to specifically remove something then I do. I am not trying to be a pirate. In fact the last thing I want to do is hurt the industry that gave us all the great games, instead I do want to allow people like you to relive their childhood and play old games/software that has long since been forgotten. I just hope and trust that everyone else tries to see it that way as well.

If you want to help create an accurate DOS game/software index, why not get involved here and work as a curator in that section, the way te_lanus does?

Hot Trout wrote:[..]
If you want to help create an accurate DOS game/software index, why not get involved here and work as a curator in that section, the way te_lanus does?

About the legal issues: I so totally agree. Game developers should get the money they deserve.
But also; the golden oldies that aren't being built and cannot be sold anymore should be preserved (letting the trademark icon's be for what they are; Mario, Zelda etc).

What do you mean by the above? I'm not sure what a curator is (or curating means).

stinow wrote:

Hot Trout wrote:[..]
If you want to help create an accurate DOS game/software index, why not get involved here and work as a curator in that section, the way te_lanus does?

What do you mean by the above? I'm not sure what a curator is (or curating means).

HT may have explained what he meant by curating the DOS section, but I will explain what I think he meant in case he hasn't explained.

te_lanus at the moment is in charge of looking after the roms for the retro console section and I think looking after the retro computer roms. In other words he finds roms for those sections of our rom archives and is responsible for putting them in the appropriate section for download purposes.

So, I believe Hot Trout was offering and asking if you would be interested in doing that job in our DOS section?? The DOS section would be yours to look after and maintain. IF members happen to find a rom that happened not to be in the DOS section they could PM it to you or let you know where it is for submission.

Hope this helped.

exactly what I was going to say crusty. You know what? We are so lucky to have you here crusty.

JAHGoVeg wrote:exactly what I was going to say crusty. You know what? We are so lucky to have you here crusty.

Hot Trout wrote:[..]
If you want to help create an accurate DOS game/software index, why not get involved here and work as a curator in that section, the way te_lanus does?

Hi HT, if the above offer still counts, I would be glad to help out.
Thought mostly I can help in weekends!

Excellent. WHat do you want to do first?

Just because a games producer doesn't follow up with copyright infringment law doesn't make it legal. Many games are still commerical available a quick ebay search for the likes of ZX Spectrum games will bring back a ball of old cassette tape games and consoles.
I think a small but respectable fee should be paid as royality to any game developers or production houses, much the same as Radio stations pay musicians, I know its impossible to do this, but I'm just calling a spade a spade, or in this case a pirate.

erebus wrote:Just because a games producer doesn't follow up with copyright infringment law doesn't make it legal. Many games are still commerical available a quick ebay search for the likes of ZX Spectrum games will bring back a ball of old cassette tape games and consoles.
I think a small but respectable fee should be paid as royality to any game developers or production houses, much the same as Radio stations pay musicians, I know its impossible to do this, but I'm just calling a spade a spade, or in this case a pirate.

ebay don't count as does any second hand shop. Most of the companies today hate eBay and places like Gamestop, since they see buying and selling of second hand games as piracy.

Heck (if me memory remembers correctly) EA and Ubisoft as written code in their new releases that lock certain parts of their game if the game is run on a different system on what it was run on first, and if ya have to play that areas you have to pay them, there is even a game or 2 from EA (? not 100% sure it's them) that your serial key is only valid for something like 6 months and then it expire, and it's on original sales, not second hand. You pay them only to play a set amount of time then your game that you bought becomes "pirated" and useless, except if you pay for a second & 3rd & 4th serial. But me digress

Also most of the gaming companies that was around during the beginning of the Computer games era isn't around anymore. And of those that is still around only about 5-10% of them really cares about their old IP's. Nintendo used to shutdown or send C&D letters to anyone who hosted NES & SNES roms, but about 2 years ago they ceased doing it and now focus only on their DS and 3DS romz.

Todays Gaming Companies is more "scared" of second hand sales & piracy of their new games than worrying about a old "crappy" game that ran on the ZX Spectrum (of which only 10-15% of the library isn't made freeware by their creators).