@Blooddrinker: Argh! Du weißt wohl nicht, was Abandonware ist! Das ist Software, deren Copyright abgelaufen ist. Bei Software geschieht dies nach 5 Jahren! Bevor Du irgend so eine Behauptung in den Raum stellst, solltest Du Dich lieber erstmal richtig informieren!
Ok, ok, ich hab's mir nochmal durchgelesen. Offiziell ist Software erst nach 75 Jahren zum Abschuß freigegeben, aber es wird NIEMAND etwas sagen, wenn Du Dir Spiele kopierst, die mehr als 5 Jahre alt sind (manche Spiele bilden da allerdings eine Ausnahme).
I. What is abandonware?
A. The definition of abandonware
Abandonware is defined as any
PC/Mac/Amiga/C64/Apple game that is:
1.At least 5 years old
2.Not being sold or supported by the
company that produced it or by any
other company. When a certain piece of
abandonware is later found to be sold or
supported by a company, then it ceases to
be abandonware.
B. Why abandonware is technically
software piracy
According to U.S. Law and International
Treaties, A copyright belongs to the author of a
software product for 50 years beyond the life of
the author or 75 years after the copyright date if
the work is done by a corporation. Before that
time expires, nobody (except the author) has the
right to copy that piece of software.
A corporation is defined as an independent entity
(like a person) and as an independent entity, it
can hold a copyright (like a person). (However,
it can't vote like a person)
Most of the software copyrights out there are
held by corporations. (Microsoft, Sierra,
Microprose, etc.) Therefore, nobody has the
right to copy a software product held by the
corporation for 75 years after the copyright date.
If a person is caught copying a piece of software
that has a copyright that he/she does not own,
then he/she is found in violation of copyright law
and is subject to civil and criminal penalties. The
Software & Information Industry (SIIA) is an
organization whose goal is to find and catch
people who violate software copyrights.
C. Why abandonware is really not (or
should not be) considered piracy
Let me (Peter Ringering) tell you the history of
my computer life.
I am on my third computer now. When I bought
my first computer (an XT), I bought some
software with it. Then, a year later, games came
out that required a 286. I stretched a little and
bought a 286 along with a few more games.
However, a couple years after that, games came
out on the market that said
"Must have a 386 or better." I waited awhile,
saved awhile, and finally got a 486 sx33
motherboard with 4 megs of RAM. I had to use
my old monitor, mouse, and keyboard. I later
bought a 33.6 modem so I could at least get
some decent speed out of the Internet. However,
now most software titles say, "Must have a
Pentium 200 with MMX." I just don't have the
money to upgrade to a Pentium to run these new
games. In fact, I don't have the money to buy a
new computer each year to run the software that
is being sold.
I'm pretty frustrated. Will I have to upgrade my
computer every year just to get decent software?
Game companies (and other software
companies) are no longer selling any software
that is compatible with my computer (much less
an XT). If they did sell software that would work
on my computer, I would be more than happy to
pay their price. But they don't.
I've had a variety of opinions on this subject.
Some people say that I can't get copies of old
games so I can get the maximum enjoyment out
of my computer and so it's my tough luck. I think
that is a violation of good, decent justice and
could be considered antitrust.
I mean, wouldn't it be antitrust if oil companies
only sold Brand A gasoline but that brand was
not compatible with your car? If your car only
takes Brand B gasoline and will not run under
Brand A gasoline, how are you to obtain gas for
your car? The only way is to get a new car that
will take Brand A gasoline. Wouldn't that be
antitrust?
The car companies would be getting together
with the gas companies and saying, "If you only
sell Brand A gasoline and discontinue Brand B
gasoline, then we will only sell cars that take
Brand A gasoline. That way, the public has to
pump out lots of money to upgrade their cars in
order to use them. If they try to obtain Brand B
gasoline from anyone else, then we will sue
because we have a "copyright" (or even a patent)
on that gasoline. We will both (car and gas
companies) win because the public will have to
pay allot of money to get the latest and greatest
cars in order to get to where they need to go and
they will also pay for the inflated prices for Brand
A gasoline." I know a whole bunch of politicians
that would scream "Antitrust!" on that practice.
That's what I see the computer companies doing.
The computer hardware companies only
manufacture high-end computers while the
software companies only produce software that
run on those high-end computers and will no
longer sell or support software that runs on
lower-end computers. Because the software
companies only sell software that runs on the
"latest and greatest" computers, both the
computer hardware and software companies are
unjustly gaining through the increased sale of the
"latest and greatest" computers and software.
Why should a simple copyright keep me from
obtaining software for my low-end computer?
As long as no other software company is selling
the software and the software is at least 5 years
old, why shouldn't I be able to obtain it from my
next-door neighbor, a local BBS, or a Web Site
on the Internet?
Would you be willing to get rid of your car every
year to get one that is "compatible" with the
roads. Your old car will give you good service
for at least 10 years (give or take). A TV has a
useful life of at least 10 years and we only pay
$300 for one. However, a computer has a life of
maybe 2 years and we have to fork out $1,200
for one (plus hundreds more for software).
That's not fair. Computer prices should either
come way down so we can afford to upgrade
every two years or the software companies
should start selling old software to people who
have old computers.
Abandonware is what we call "abandoned
software" Abandoned property is defined as
"Property that has been discarded by the true
owner, who has no intention of claiming title to it.
Someone who finds abandoned property,
acquires title to it, and such title is good against
the whole world, including the original owner."
West Business Law 4th edition.
As far as I'm concerned the software companies
have abandoned their old software by not selling
or supporting it. Therefore, we as owners of old
computers have a moral right to copy it so we
can get good use of it.
That's what The Abandonware Ring is designed
to do. It is designed to give software and support
to people who have out-of-date computers.
Since the software companies won't help us, then
we will help ourselves.
D. How something ceases to be
abandonware
When a game publisher decides to sell or
support the old game again it ceases to be
abandonware. Here is a list of software that is
currently not abandonware.
Battlehawks 1942 (Lucas Arts)
Blackthorne (Interplay)
Blake Stone (Apogee)
Blood and Magic (Interplay)
Boppin' (Apogee)
Castle of the Winds (Epic Classics)
Castles (Interplay)
Commander Keen (2,3,5,6) (Apogee)
Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure (Apogee)
Curse of the Azure Bonds (Interplay)
Crystal Caves (Apogee)
Dare to Dream (Epic Classics)
Dark Forces (Lucas Arts)
Day of the Tentacle (Lucas Arts)
Descent (Interplay)
Descent 2 (Interplay)
Dragon Wars (Inteprlay)
Doom (GT Interactive)
Doom 2 (GT Interactive)
Duke Nukem II (Apogee)
Dungeon Hack (Interplay)
Epic Pinball (Epic Classics)
Eye of the Beholder (Interplay)
Eye of the Beholder II (Interplay)
Eye of the Beholder III (Interplay)
Extreme Pinball (Epic Classics)
Final Doom (GT Interactive)
Full Throttle (Lucas Arts)
Gateway to the Savage Frontier (Interplay)
Heretic (GT Interactive)
Hexen (GT Interactive)
Hillsfar (Interplay)
Hocus Pocus (Apogee)
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (Lucas Arts)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Lucas Arts)
Jazz Jackrabbit (Epic Classics)
Jill of the Jungle (Epic Classics)
Kiloblaster (Epic Classics)
Kings Quest (All) (Sierra)
Leisure Suit Larry (All) (Sierra)
Loom (Lucas Arts)
Maniac Mansion (Lucas Arts)
Math Rescue (Apogee)
Menzoberranzan (Interplay)
Monkey Island (All) (Lucas Arts)
Monster Bash (Apogee)
Mystic Towers (Apogee)
Overkill (Epic Classics)
Paganitzu (Apogee)
Planet Strike (Blake Stone 2) (Apogee)
Police Quest (All) (Sierra)
Pools of Darkness (Interplay)
Pool of Radiance (Interplay)
Raptor (Apogee)
Realms of Chaos (Apogee)
Rebel Assault (Lucas Arts)
Rise of the Triad (Apogee)
Sam & Max Hit the Road (Lucas Arts)
Secret Agent (Apogee)
Secret of the Silver Blades (Interplay)
Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe, The (Lucas Arts)
Sim* (All) (EA)
Sim City (Interplay)
Sim City 2000 (EA)
Simon the Sorcerer (All) (Adventure Soft)
Solar Winds (Epic Classics)
Spear of Destiny (ID Software)
Terminal Velocity (Apogee)
The Dig (Lucas Arts)
Their Finest Hour: The Battle of Britain (Lucas Arts)
Treasures of the Savage Frontier (Interplay)
Ultimate Doom (GT Interactive)
Wacky Wheels (Apogee)
Warcraft (All) (Blizzard)
Wizardry (All) (Sir Tech)
Wolfenstein 3D (Apogee)
Word Rescue (Apogee)
Xargon (Apogee)
Zak McKraken and the Alien Mindbenders (Lucas Arts)
[Editiert von Tingil am 03-02-2001 um 12:40]
