am I SOL?

[mikeymike]

Because if you -="borrow"=- someone elses disks you'd be considered a software pirate

I'm sorry, but I think this is a complete load of rubbish, but it's the way most software vendors would like you to think, because it means more money for them.

If you legally own a copy of a piece of software, and the media it came on dies for some reason, what the hell is the problem with replacing that media with a copy from someone else?  Has the company who produced the media promised you a long-long guarantee that it will produce you another set if that set dies?

What about years ago when the shop my dad bought my first Amiga from, when the Workbench disks died, we were given free copies of them?  Ok, so they didn't have pretty labels on, and if the shop wanted to, they could charge us for their time and materials used.

To me, what you're saying is tantamount to "you're not allowed to perform maintenance on what you bought from a company".

[mikeymike]

Considering, well according to someone here anyway, it was on the Amiga format CD every month, I doubt there was any license agreement at all.  The ROM chip/image was probably the legal point.

It all comes down to 'fair use', but that term is very broad.  For example, you could buy a toaster, dismantle it, and use the outer shell as an ornament.  It's your toaster to do that with.  However, there's a 'right and wrong' issue here.

Personally, I would consider it right/fine/ok that you could use your legally obtained ROM image (from your own amiga) and legally obtained WB disks (again from your own Amiga) and use them in UAE.  You're using what you bought for your own purposes.

I would also consider it right/fine/ok to keep an infinite number of copies of the WB disks, provided you kept them somewhere where other people can't get hold of them.

However, for example, Microsoft has a problem with people having more than one backup of the software after installation, let alone the installation media.  Most business users have an issue with this, say for example servers with tape backup.  Microsoft considers it illegal to make a copy of the install CD.

Microsoft also considers it illegal for someone to buy a copy of Windows, use it on one machine, wipe that machine completely and sell it, then use the same copy of Windows to install onto another machine.  Why?  Because having to buy a new copy of Windows for a replacement machine means more money for them.  Also according to MS it is illegal to sell a machine without an operating system on it.

[mikeymike]

@ LP

I don't have Amiga Quake, Napalm or OS 3.9 :-)

Seriously though, it's dangerous on a subject like this to say one thing and mean another.  If people got the attitude as a result that companies are right to demand all kinds of things in their license agreements, the rights of the customer would go straight out the window (near pun not intended).

I agree with your later point, how would I know if this guy really lost the disks, and in the end I'd probably advise him to try and make face to face contact with someone who does have the WB3x disks so that he can provide proof of ownership.  However, as everyone knows, there are plenty of sources on the web for workbench disks, so it would be much easier to get a copy from there.