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ScummVM Developers Barred From Using PayPal

lskovlund writes "The ScummVM developers have received notice that their use of PayPal for donations is in violation of PayPal's AUP. According to a forum post, the AUP bans 'Game enhancers (which enable the play of import software and/or back up versions of software).'"

3 of 130 comments (clear)

  1. "Backup copies" by unfunk · · Score: 4, Informative

    well, ScummVM certainly doesn't allow me to play my "backup version" of Day of the Tentacle - the copy protection quiz is there in full effect :(

    1. Re:"Backup copies" by fuzzix · · Score: 4, Informative
      well, ScummVM certainly doesn't allow me to play my "backup version" of Day of the Tentacle - the copy protection quiz is there in full effect :(

      ScummVM is also distributed with Broken Sword I & II these days. It must be the easiest way to run these games on modern Windows systems. Games such as Beneath a Steel Sky and Flight of the Amazon Queen have been released as freeware specifically to show off the capabilities of ScummVM and rekindle interest in these classic point-and-click adventures.

      I'd consider that "official endorsment" from the original creators of these games. It's not like the situation with Nintendo, who have spoken out against emulation as bad and evil and wrong and causes cancer - I assume this is the attitude which gave rise to Paypal's policy. ScummVM is a useful project with industry acceptance and the backing of the companies whose software it enables. It might behoove the original authors of the games to petition Paypal about their policy in this case - I've bought several LucasArts games to play on ScummVM and I reckon others have done the same. If ScummVM didn't exist it might not be so easy to run these games on my platform of choice and I wouldn't have bothered.
  2. ScummVMs Appeal to Paypal by Ndr_Amigo · · Score: 4, Informative

    I didn't expect this to hit Slashdot, so we were a bit unprepared for the amount of feedback :) But yeah, its all legal and above board. A project like ScummVM isn't really something anyone would expect Paypal to take issue with :) For those that like reading about lost causes, heres our (denied) appeal (including Paypals initial complaint and the response to our appeal).