From: ken@isgtec.com (Ken Newman)
Newsgroups: rec.games.video
Subject: Re: Why are game copiers illegal
Date: 25 Aug 92 23:33:04 GMT
Organization: ISG Technologies Inc., Mississauga Ontario

In article <1992Aug24.014018.23860@pdnfido.fidonet.org> scottw@pdnfido.fidonet.org (Scott Weintraub) writes:
> In article <1992Aug21.135940.27537@zip.eecs.umich.edu> grover@emunix.emich.edu (Grover Thomas) writes:
> >Now let's think a minute:  what about VCRs or computer softwares like
> >Copy II+ and Copy II PC?  

Just because some technologies allow you to copy material freely doesn't
mean that all technologies should forever. This is illogical. Copying
video tapes is a bit harder because you need two VCR's, but copying of
movies from pay tv or something DOES hurt sales of that movie on tape.
Backing up computer software is different because it comes on FRAGILE
MEDIA. Disks are definitely a thousand times more fragile than ROMs.
New technologies are trying to avoid making the old mistakes all over 
again. DAT was/is being held up while they tried to make it impossible
to do a direct digital copy of a CD, thus allowing you to make an
infinite number of perfect copies. CD-Roms are being made so they only
work in certain countries and not others. THINGS ARE CHANGING. In the
future copying various media will become harder and harder. Copying
really does cost people money.

> >My understanding is that anyone has the right to make archives of
> >softwares (and perhaps otehr material), so this should also apply
> >to video games.

I keep seeing this nonsense repeated over and over. Why do you want
to back up ROM chips? How many cartridges have you had fail on you?
To the net in general, how many cartridges do you have that completely
wore out, or broke? You have to try pretty hard to wreck a cartridge.

> >Why should it be OK to copy my Apple software,
> >but not OK to copy my nintendo software?

Because renting game cartridges is allowed all over the world, mainly
because they're currently hard to copy. And also because Apple software
comes on fragile media.

> I agree totally.  I see no reason why game copiers can't be bought and
> sold in the US providing their advertised as backup devices and not 
> a machine to get free games.  Granted, many people would use it for 
> that purpose but that still wouldn't stop their sale.

How in the world are you going to stop people from copying rented games
then? Which will destroy the rental business and sales of cartridges,
if the copiers are cheap enough. Should I sell guns cheap to anybody,
just because some really want to keep them for self-defence, but others
will go shooting people and robbing stores? Where do you draw the line?
I think its sensible to make cartridge copiers illegal for two reasons:
	1) it's stupid to back up ROM chips
	2) cartridge rental and sales are big business, just
		like CD's are. Both need to be protected by making them
		immune to making perfect digital copies.

Someone before in this group was defending copiers because they also
let you modify the games, giving infinite lives or some nonsense. This
almost makes sense (not quite though), but purely for backup purposes,
no way.

--

Old programmers never die, they just log off.

ken@isgtec.com   [ ...!uunet.ca!isgtec!ken ]  Ken Newman