Legal issue of Kickstart ROMs

[psxphill]

They may be encrypted, but they are still the actual ROMs, so putting "clean" versons on the SD Card with encrypted versons in Amiga Forever shouldn't matter, should it?. After all, you can rip clean versions of the ROMs from Amiga forever by running ROM-ripper software from within a running Workbench.

If you're talking 100% legally worldwide for commercial use then no, they aren't the same.
 
You'd need to get a license from the rights holder, unless another licensee has the rights to ship unencrypted kickstart roms & you can do a deal with them.
 
Doing a deal with Amiga Forever and getting minimig to work off encrypted images would probably be your best bet. Whether you'd still be able to bundle the file on the SD card, I don't know.

[psxphill]

I'd have thought those 3.1 ROMs would have run out years ago.

Mask roms have a minimum order qty, especially if you want good pricing. Sales since then are unlikely to have been that high.
 
Especially as alot of people either softkick it or burn their own rom, if you need to fix a real amiga then it's probably cheaper to buy an old one second hand and strip it for parts or buy parts second hand.

[psxphill]

At least some dealers have been selling (E)PROMs.

That is pretty weird. I can't see that it's even worth peoples time even thinking about burning roms.

[psxphill]

To be honest, I'm surprised nobody is eBaying "3.2" ROMs with the OS3.9 ROM updates included.

That would be a bit more logical. At least someone might want those.
I can't see why anyone would pay more for a rom than they can get a non working machine for (unless the guy who sold you the non working machine has actually stolen the roms out of it).
 
There can't be that many people who need kickstart roms.

[psxphill]

If nothing else, the whole issue could get tied up in the courts for years

I think you understimate the amount of money that you'll need to raise to achieve that.
 
There is no way that you'd get permission to launch a class action lawsuit either. I can't even work out what your lawsuit would be for & who it would be against.
 
The easy way to find who owns the rights would be to start advertising and selling minimig along with roms & hope that when/if someone comes along they don't sue you for more money than you made. Thats how big businesses do it.