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Internet Grey Areas
he Internet has opened up release their older software
whole new avenues of titles into the public domain
freedom for people: freedom making them legally Abandonware
of information, thoughts and the but a large number of titles
ability to achieve anonymity labelled as such are not
while still being active in a technically free for public
community. This freedom has been access. The licences are still
latched onto by a large owned by someone and the
proportion of the Internet user distribution of their software
base and has fuelled a desire for titles could be harming their
even more liberties. This in turn licence validity.
has given rise to the 'Internet
Grey Areas', those little things Abandonware justifies itself by
that 'everyone' does but which preserving gaming history in a
aren't quite legally correct. A 'living' way. It allows people to
few examples are Abandonware, MP3 play the games they used to love
downloads, warez and their kind. long after they're available to
purchase. In many cases the only
Abandonware is the label applied hope for finding older games is
to games that have been to trawl second hand shops and
'abandoned' by their original online stores such as Ebay in the
developers. The standard rule has slim hopes of coming across a
become that if the games are more particular title. Sometimes when
than four years old and no longer you finally get hold of the old
freely available for purchase, or software it simply won't run on
if the developer has closed and your PC leaving you with a pretty
hence the game is no longer box but no closer to actually
supported, then it can be called playing the game. Several times
Abandonware and distributed I've purchased an old game and
freely. Some developers willingly then downloaded a copy off the
Internet so that I can actually downloading it", an argument that
play it due to the fact that old is ridiculous at best. The Movie
disks are either damaged or the downloading scene is almost
wrong type (I don't have a 5 1/4" identical. I'm not going to swing
floppy drive on my PC any one way or another here, but I
more...). will say that I can think of
several films that didn't receive
MP3 downloads have a less the box office takings from a
honourable ideology. Simply put, number of associates of mine
people want free music so they after they had gotten to
download it. It is said that the experience the film before its
activities harm no one and that release date. The quality of the
the downloading process doesn't films almost justifies the
adversely affect artists' stealing, but that's a whole
profits. Who can say for sure? At different issue!
the time of writing this article
the RIAA's site is down and I'm The Internet community gets riled
not able to find any accurate up over companies asserting their
figures that estimate the amount rights on the Internet (which is
of revenue lost due to music odd... companies asserting their
piracy. I believe that it was legal rights being seen as evil
estimated at around $5 billion in while individuals illegally
1997 and that's sure to have attempting to assert what they
increased with the advent of believe should be their rights
broadband. However, these figures are forces for good...) but the
are said to be highly inaccurate. simple fact is that it is
A standard argument against them damaging for a company to allow
is "I wasn't planning on buying the theft of their licences to go
the CD anyway so they haven't unnoticed. In the case of
lost any money out of me Abandonware, if it can be proven
that a company knew their CDs are very expensive if you
products were being illegally only want one or two songs off
distributed but did nothing about the CD, which is where online
it then the copyright over that music stores can come into play.
particular licence can be lost. There you can purchase the
The revenues lost due to piracy licence to a song relatively
in its many forms are cheaply without having to pay a
surprisingly enough, damaging to lot for an entire CD you that
companies. don't particularly want (and they
have the added upside of having
I think that it's unfortunate more of the money make it back to
that the freedom provided by the the artists who created the music
Internet has lead to such abuse as opposed to the corporations
but I can see the validity of that distribute it).
both sides of the arguments.
Companies want and deserve their I guess in the end everyone has
revenue for the services they to make their own decision about
provide. Abandonware infringes on where they stand between the
a company's copyright and can concepts of 'Morally Correct' and
lead to them losing their 'Legally Correct'. Me personally,
licences if they don't hunt down I like to stand a little closer
offenders. The consumers on the to 'Legally Correct' than most.
other hand have to pay It's been my experience that
increasingly steeper and steeper 'morals' tend to change and warp
prices for the products, a lot sooner than the law does,
something that is often blamed on and not always for the better. If
the increasing rate of piracy, we restrain ourselves on the
which is blamed on the continuous Internet then maybe authorities
increase in prices and the whole won't see the need to attempt to
thing becomes a vicious cycle. restrain us. The freedom that is
relished so much on the Internet just a little self-control.
may in fact be increased with
About the Author:
Daniel Punch
M6.Net
http://www.m6.net
Read more articles by: M6.Net Web Hosting
Article Source: www.iSnare.com
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