Illegal to download old games?

Do you think it should really be illegal to download old games that arent made anymore. Sure I can buy a used copy of FFVII off amazon for 50 bucks, but why should square be able to sue people for downloading it for free when they dont make it anymore.

Because it's theirs and they should have control over it. Regardless of how old it is it still belongs to them and so they decide what happens with it.

I see your point but it just makes me mad that I dont have the right to play a game anymore just because I was ignorant as a kid or was botn too late.

Gin is correct. As long as the game maker still holds the rights of the game, it is illegal to pirate it. Sometimes when a game gets too old, it will be come freeware (like C&C). However, it rarely happens.

I know that if the price is right, you can get any old games you want legally.

Was the poll there before? I dont remember it? But I may have missed it?

I thought that after 50 or so years, any piece of media becomes government property? Or is this just with books/movies?

WEll, technically speaking, the first video games are definitely more than 50 years old. However, no one cares about those anymore and it'll be a while before the first games worth playing hit 50 years of age.

Well, that is true. XD. Just something that might come in handy in the long run I guess? (ThE LONG LONG run).

EDIT: I don't know, looking through that first games in history article, that tennis played with a radar looks kinda fun xD

Never think about it cause my in my country though there is a law that forbid it. We still do it openly, I think it is to the point where the industry that think how to make profit inmy country. Kinda confused when see a gamespot store selling a pirate game copy, I have been thinking is the Gamespot in my Country trully is THE GAMESPOT??? I never find the answer.

Yes, you can get just about any game legally, but why bother paying hundreds of dollars for an extremely-hard-to-find game? And I'm not exaggerating; I have seen games selling for hundreds of dollars, because they are rare and greatly desired.

I can understand downloading older games being illegal, but a company taking legal action against a person who just downloads old games is ridiculous. If the person is selling the bootlegged games, that'd be cause for action, but some guy downloading and playing the games in the privacy of his own home? There's no reason to start shit.

Besides, buying an old game won't even give money to the company that made the game. How the hell would buying Phantasy Star from a yard sale give Sega money? How would buying the original Tetris at a shady store tell Nintendo that I like the game?

If no copy of the game has been made in the past five years, it's fair game. At that point, all the copies of the game that can be bought can only be bought second-hand, from someone who already gave money to the company that made the game. The company does not benefit at all. The only person getting money is the person you're getting the game from. If I sold my copy of Final Fantasy VII, I would be the one making money, not Square.

I absolutely agree with you, and I do pirate a lot of these games. However, the question was whether this is illegal or not, and I think it is. That was the point I made, and I'm sure that's what you're saying as well.

Well regardless if it's illegal or not, I believe everyone here has downloaded illegally at some point. That's pretty much a given.

It is illegal to download old games. Intellectual and physical property, my friend.

There is one vague block which we call Abandonware.

"Abandonware refers to computer software that is no longer sold or supported, or whose copyright ownership may be unclear for various reasons.
Generally, it refers to software no longer available for legal purchase, or of a certain age. Software companies may change their names, go bankrupt, enter into mergers, or cease to exist for a variety of reasons.
When this happens, product rights are usually transferred to another company that may not sell or support the software acquired.

In most cases, software classed as abandonware is not in the public domain, as it has never had its original copyright revoked."

So it's still illegal, but no one will ever work a case to attempt to make you pay as the company is unable or unwilling to do so due to a variety of obvious reasons.

Lol actually I think he phrased it better. The point I was getting at is how can companies get angry over something they can no longer get any money from.

I don't think they get that angry...it's not like you're seeing them sue people for it.

Youd be surprised the whole reason I posed this question is because square actually sent me a C&D e-mail cause I was downloading a FFVII torrent. I wanted to get peoples opinions so I didnt bring it up before. Sorry for all the confusion.

May I inquire as to what this e-mail said?

WTF (why the ****) are they sending you the C&D? shouldn't they send it to the host site of the torrent? It's kinda like a cop rolling up on a drug buy and cuffing the addict, letting the dealer go.

That aside, why is Square doing it and no-one-else? I've got numerous animes, hentais, and a copy of Yin-Yang* on my computer, all torrented, and half my dad's hard-drive has Bleach and Naruto eps on it, same case.

*Now that I think about, CROWD probably wants everyone to quietly forget about X-change Alternate. :lol:

I bought the Valkyrie Profile for PS1 and walkthrough few years ago, like 2003 or 2005. Cost me several hundred dollars but, I never regreted it =D It was even in mint condition.

Played it and enjoyed it and got the game for Psp lol.

Whenever it's no longer being sold in Major vendors I believe it's fair game at that point. Espically when there's very little left to none on internet auctions.