NationStates Jolt Archive

I seem to recall they were not but I am not sure.

Anyway.

http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=505994

Abandonware may have the best of intentions, but it is still a copyright violation.

Oh, sorry, if that was sort of my fault, I apologise.

I seem to recall they were not but I am not sure.
I don't recall a specific ruling. I do know that warez links are justification for instant deletion. I'm not sure if we've ever had to address this issue specifically, but it's shaky enough ground that I don't feel comfortable making a ruling.

I'll leave it for one of the mods who is better at copyright law to cover. (Salusa? GMC? Hack? Scolo?)

I don't recall a specific ruling. I do know that warez links are justification for instant deletion. I'm not sure if we've ever had to address this issue specifically, but it's shaky enough ground that I don't feel comfortable making a ruling.

I'll leave it for one of the mods who is better at copyright law to cover. (Salusa? GMC? Hack? Scolo?)
See - well this is the problem.

Unless people ask for games to be taken off Abandonia, they stay there, so the law's a bit sketchy on it. A few of the games probably are warez, but a good majority are there with the authors' consent.

Abandonware is illegal, no ifs buts or maybes. Copyrights on games last for 75 years, and unless the owner of the copyright, usually the company not the author, releases the game as freeware, and/or gives explicit permission, it is illegal to offer the game for download.

The difference between abandonware and warez is moral, not legal. Abandonware is tipically old software that is no longer sold or supported and doesn't belong to a company assiociated with the ESA. Some companies tolerate abandonware because they are no longer making money from it, but they still own it and can demand it be removed off abandonware sites, and/'or prosecute those who run those sites for copyright infringment, anytime they choose.

Unlike posting links to standard Warez sites, links to abandonware do not warrant immediate deletion. I would remove the link and issue a friendly warning to the player unless they are repeat offenders.

As someone in the software industry, I can definitely see both sides of the moral debate, but moderation is not a place to have it.

Thanks Salusa and Fris