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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.

3 of 215 comments (clear)

  1. 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?

  2. Overseas by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Why not just give the site content to somebody living in a country where "freedom" still means something.

  3. Re:Hmmm... by macwhiz · · Score: 5, Informative

    Looking at the Wayback Machine archive for the stormaster.com site, it looks like it included ROM images. That'd probably be why the DMCA was invoked.

    I can understand why the game makers would want those ROMs taken down. People are still willing to pay for versions of the classic games -- look at the various "oldies" cartridges for modern game systems. Two of the games on the list I know to be available in stores: Frogger was recently remade as a 3D game, as was Dig Dug. Both include the "classic" game. (I saw Dig Dug at my local job-lot clearance store just the other day.)

    It's not a case of the code having no value. Clearly, you can still sell that code. So, having it available for anyone with MAME to use is stealing from the pockets of the current rights-holders.

    As much as I think DMCA is bad law and is abused, this is one case where it seems to be used as intended.