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IDSA Forces Arcade Game Manual Archive Offline

Posted by timothy on from the legal-scrooge dept.

AtariKee writes "The IDSA and the DMCA has struck again, this time forcing the maintainer of Stormaster.com, a coin-operated video game manual and tech information archive, to shut down. Stormaster has been an invaluable resource for collectors of classic coin-operated video games for years, and this loss further demonstrates the idiocy that is the DMCA. I can understand ROM images to some extent, but 25 year old coin-op operator/tech manuals? The full text of the IDSA's letter can be read on Stormaster's site." Previous Slashdot posts about IDSA (Interactive Digital Software Association) show that this is typical of the organization.

8 of 215 comments (clear)

  1. read carefully by ummit · · Score: 3, Insightful
    ...forcing the maintainer of Stormaster.com to shut down... I can understand ROM images to some extent, but 25 year old coin-op operator/tech manuals?

    Well, I notice that the IDSA letter does not demand that those 25 year old manuals be taken down, or that the site be shut down -- the letter refers only to a list of 7 "game products" (which are presumably ROM images).

  2. Anybody notice this: by Guspaz · · Score: 5, Insightful

    At the bottom of the page/letter:

    "
    Note: The information transmitted in this Notice is intended only for the
    person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or
    privileged material. Any review, reproduction, retransmission, dissemination
    or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by
    persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you
    received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from
    all computers."

    Isn't posting it on the internet the same as retransmitting or disseminating?

  3. Re:The best part... by Dun+Malg · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Read it carefully:

    "Any reproduction... by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited."

    He's the "intended recipient", so he can do ANY of the actions listed. Get a clue. Learn to read.

    --
    If a job's not worth doing, it's not worth doing right.
  4. Motivation? by niom · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I fail to see the motivation in some of these cease and desist actions by large companies; Blizzard recent shutdown of Freecraft is another example. What's the point? Simply showing they can?

    --
    -- Repeat with me: "There is no right to profits".
  5. Why is it shut down? by pclinger · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The notice tells the owner of the site to stop offering for download a few specific items that the letter claims were on it's site. There was nothing in the letter which stated the entire site must be taken down.

    I can understand ROM images to some extent, but 25 year old coin-op operator/tech manuals?

    Read the letter. It doesn't say to take down any manuals. The person who shut down this site shut it down on their own accord. They could have just removed those specific items for download and they would be in the free-and-clear.

    --
    /. editors made it impossible to link to file:///c:/con/con in my sig. Please just type it in
    1. Re:Why is it shut down? by NukeIear · · Score: 3, Insightful

      He says

      Sorry everyone but stormaster.com has been taken down! I'm tired of dealing with DMCA lawyers.

      So I would guess that after being bothered numerous times he doesn't care if he can remove a few more manuals and make that lawyer go away since another will be pestering him next week.

  6. Is it just me? by oaf357 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Is it just me or does it seem like these DMCA claims are always targetted at people who can't really fight them?

  7. Clever Idea by Esion+Modnar · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Let's say that your site needs a boost in traffic. Just cook up a fake letter from some non-existent lawyer, saying cease-and-desist, then leak said letter to /. to get the effect we all know and love.

    BAM! Your ISP staggers for half a day or so, but you'll probably enjoy residual traffic as a result of the exposure...

    Not saying that's the case here, but what if...

    Perhaps this has happened already?

    --

    They say the first thing to go is your penis. Well, it's either that or your brain. I forget which...