Illegal Amiga software, what are the rules (US)

[Piru]

Even Amiga Forever owners without a real Amiga need access to ADF files because an original Amiga floppy game is not going to work in their PC's floppy drive.

Reading Amiga Floppy Disks on PC

[Piru]

Ah, so you're proud of the fact that you're countrymen are a bunch of music-copying pirates.

Yeah. We're bunch of liberals and commies and we're coming for you...

It's just Americans copying software that's disgusting.

Well, DMCA is quite stupid, but fear not: EU's new equivalent is almost as bad.

[Darrin]

Piru wrote:

Even Amiga Forever owners without a real Amiga need access to ADF files because an original Amiga floppy game is not going to work in their PC's floppy drive.

Reading Amiga Floppy Disks on PC

OK, good point, but it's not exactly as simple as "inserting the disk", is it?  Your casual Amiga Forever purchaser will probably feel a bit confused, but at least he'll be able to play Ports of Call.

[uncharted]

jkirk wrote:

technically this is not a crime and is not illegal. it instead unlawful(not supported by the law) and copyright infringement. a crime puts you in jail. copyright infringement siphons your pocketbook.

IIRC here in the UK it is a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment.  Wikipedia seems to back this up, however that doesn't necessarily mean anything. :-)

[Darrin]

Piru wrote:
Yeah. We're bunch of liberals and commies and we're coming for you...

And that's why so many Americans own 5 guns and no passport.  :-D

Well, DMCA is quite stupid, but fear not: EU's new equivalent is almost as bad.

I'm not familiar with the new one.  What could they possibly have done to make it worse?   :-o

[Darrin]

jkirk wrote:

technically this is not a crime and is not illegal. it instead unlawful(not supported by the law) and copyright infringement. a crime puts you in jail. copyright infringement siphons your pocketbook.

IIRC here in the UK it is a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment.  Wikipedia seems to back this up, however that doesn't necessarily mean anything. :-)[/quote]

Yep, being a crime is one thing, but being acrime that's enforced is something else.  If memory serves me right, the UK still has a few strange laws on it's books dating back many years.  A few choice ones are:

London Hackney cabs should always carry a bale of hay as feed for the horse (regardless of the fact that Hackney cabs now run on petrol).
It is illegal to beat your wife after 9pm in London (as it disturbs the neighbours)
It is illegal to walk a pig the wrong way down a one-way street (I assume goats and sheep are OK).

[jkirk]

uncharted wrote:

jkirk wrote:

technically this is not a crime and is not illegal. it instead unlawful(not supported by the law) and copyright infringement. a crime puts you in jail. copyright infringement siphons your pocketbook.

IIRC here in the UK it is a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment.  Wikipedia seems to back this up, however that doesn't necessarily mean anything. :-)

 :-o what!!!!

just remind me not to go there then. :crazy:

The game Elite has also been made publicly available for free by its authors, Ian Bell and David Braben.

See Ian Bell's Elite pages here: http://www.iancgbell.clara.net/elite/

[uncharted]

Darrin wrote:
If memory serves me right, the UK still has a few strange laws on it's books dating back many years.

I've some better ones from the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000

If you are asked by the authorities to hand over an encryption key and fail to do so (or provide evidence you no-longer have the key) - 2 Years imprisonment

Penalty for telling someone you have been asked for the key - 5 Years imprisonment

Oh, and the copyright laws are recent.

[Piru]

What could they possibly have done to make it worse?

A lot

[Darrin]

Piru wrote:

A lot

Damn!  Well, I'd be breaking the law right now.  I routinely copy DVDs from home onto my laptop so that I can watch them when I'm away on business (I'm away for a month at a time, and I don't want to carry the original DVDs with me).  I'm currently working my way through Season 2 of Babylon 5.

I also use it to watch out of region disks on my laptop.  My Laptop's drive is set for Region 2 and I can't find any files to reflash it as region free.  As a result, I used DVD Decrypter to copy the disk to the hard drive, strip the region code and then play it back.

So all of this would be illegal?!   :-(

[rkauer]

Darrin wrote:
Damn!  Well, I'd be breaking the law right now.  I routinely copy DVDs from home onto my laptop so that I can watch them when I'm away on business (I'm away for a month at a time, and I don't want to carry the original DVDs with me).

I also use it to watch out of region disks on my laptop.  My Laptop's drive is set for Region 2 and I can't find any files to reflash it as region free.  As a result, I used DVD Decrypter to copy the disk to the hard drive, strip the region code and then play it back.

So all of this would be illegal?!   :-(

If you own the original disk and the copy's use is intended only for personal, no problem (if you COULD PROVE THIS).

 BTW: don't giveaway the copy, that's illegal in any place of the world (maybe not in some Asian countries, who knows).