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StarROMs Co-Founder Talks Legal ROMs

Posted by simoniker on from the legitimate-leeching dept.

CaptMondo writes "If you love the old quarter-sucking arcade games of the past and want to be able to download and play the ROMs for them legally, StarROMs (as mentioned previously here on /.), has stepped in and made this possible. PerformancePCCanada has an interview with StarROMs co-founder Frank Leibly, discussing how they convinced Atari to make purchasing ROMs legal for their long-time game fans, but still making it worth StarROMs' while." The interview also notes StarROMs will be "...increasing our offering of classic arcade games, and... expanding into console titles, starting out with the classic Atari console games."

5 of 21 comments (clear)

  1. step 3... profit? by BTWR · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If you buy a starrom, or 10, can you then legally set up a mame machine that plays 10 classic games and charge a dime per play?

    1. Re:step 3... profit? by papadiablo · · Score: 5, Interesting

      If you buy a starrom, or 10, can you then legally set up a mame machine that plays 10 classic games and charge a dime per play?

      That's an interesting question. If it were possible to do that, wouldn't it also be possible to setup an xbox, gamecube, or playstation and charge people to play it? I don't see why this would be illegal, but IANAL. It seems like the equivalent of renting the game for the length of your play.

  2. it's a damn shame by ministerofsickeningr · · Score: 5, Interesting

    that some of these titles would be allowed to die off. i'm glad someone has made the coin-op people see the light. too bad there isn't a copyright sunset thats more realistic for software.

  3. On violations... by Thedalek · · Score: 4, Interesting

    If you really want to be technical, the letter of the law (here in the US) states that copyright violation must be demonstrated as being A) Commercially damaging to the fair market value of the property in question AND B) Not for archival, research, or educational purposes.

    This basically means that regardless of what a company claims, if the game has no fair market value (IE, is not reasonably available on the commercial market), or if you are archiving, researching, or educating with video games, you're in the clear.

    --
    Happiness is relative, Based upon the way we live.
  4. If they only had TRON by stuffduff · · Score: 2, Interesting
    I want my TRON!

    Give Me LightCycles! Give me Bugs! Give me the MCP!
    Give Me Tanks! I'll give Thanks! I'll Play on my PC!

    sorry George...

    --
    "Can there be a Klein bottle that is an efficient and effective beer pitcher?"