Are ROMs legal?
 

QB and I have been discussing it, but I thought I would throw it out to all.

After being told that ROMs (PC versions of console games played on emulators) were legal a little investigation on the Internet tells another tale.

Just as owning a CD of music doesn't give me the right to DL mp3s of that music, owning a legal copy of a console game doesn't give me the right to DL a ROM to play on my PC.

Making backup copies of both game discs and music CDs is legal, but the ROM is not. The backup copy is intended for the system you purchased it for. That means if I buy a copy of SF:IV for the PS3 doesn't mean I can DL a copy to play on my 360, or PC.

It seems publishers do not actively pursue lawsuits, etc. as games that aren't being sold new now are not worth spending money on pursuing. However the exception to this is Nintendo, as they sell older games on Wii Virtual Console.

If I am mistaken, let me know, but it would seem the legal answer is probably obvious.

How would you make a back-up of the title without first have the ISO, or CDI, otherwise known as the ROM file?

In our case Capcom is also selling copies of there older games, which are supported on GGPO (the online client used to play these ROMs) on Xbox Live Arcade, Street Fighter 2 and Garou: Mark of the Wolves along with King of Fighter 98' have just been recently added to the XBLA. And yet, they still allow and endorse the GGPO client.

These two should help you out.

| Nintendo - Corporate Information | Legal Information (Copyrights, Emulators, ROMs, etc.)

Help - GameFAQs

Roms are not legal.
It's the same thing with copying or backing up a DVD.



Sure its not legal, but people do it anyway.

I have no idea.


To use GGPO do you have to prove you have a legitimate version of the ROM? And asking that, are there "legitimate" versions for console games on PC? I am thinking "no" because that would literally mean it is a cracked version.

Thank you very much! ^_^

I cant believe something useful came out of Gamefaqs -_- xD

So, MMM, the Client is completely legal.

Its just that most of the people using it aren't using legit ROMs
It dosen't have to be an authentic ROM file.

And technically, I'm not using legal ROMs either, considering that the Client uses the Arcade versions and I do not own a SSFII:T Cabinet or a SFIII:3s Cabinet. Damn..I got screwed on that one.

Is it legal to make a copy of a game I own?
Yes. U.S. Copyright laws allow you to make one backup copy of software you own. However, that backup copy is "tied" to your original. If you sell or give away your original software, you must destroy your backup copy or package it with the orignal when you sell or give it away. Likewise, you may not sell or give away your backup copy without the original.

Of course, with the advent of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), breaking the copyright protection on a piece of software you own has been made a crime in many cases, so if the software you are backing up implements copyright protection, it may also be illegal.

I always thought ROMS/Emulators were illegal. Well, I was told that years ago anyway. Guess making a copy for your own personal use is okay, but not okay to share/sell it...

The funniest thing that the emulators are legal (being that they should be infringement on copyright status). If memory serves there was one PlayStation emulator that was being sold commercially.

I'm so glad Nintendo and several game companies realize the worth of old games, and started to sell them again.

gamefaqs is a knucklehead of a place.

As long as you make the copy. Cartridge based games are a problem in that regard as the machines to make the ROM are illegal.

Hmm, thats odd. Then there are also things like this.
GP2X - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
That are being sold that obviously are going to be used for illegal gaming -_-

Yeah, I stay away from gamefaqs, thats sad to say considering I'm a /b/tard.

Good information. It is interesting that the Client is legal, even if the ROMs are not. Where I live it used to be illegal for people under 18 to buy cigarettes, but legal for them to smoke. Same sort of thing...