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[TheSmyth]

I get the feeling we're going round in circles here, and no-one actually knows the right answer...... :eeeeeh:

Abandonware - Good k:
Piracy - Bad :not_ok:
Software Companies selling old Games - Good k:
Overpriced Classic Software - Bad :not_ok:
Supporting Retailers - Good k:
Ignoring Retailers that we feel like - Bad :not_ok:
People enjoy old games - Good k:
People enjoying old games being Piracy - Uhhhhh :crazy:

Abandonware is Illegal, it is Piracy, but we want it because there's no other way to get hold of these games anymore. Many software companies ignore it because they aren't making any profit anyway. But if they suddenly decided they were going to start re-selling it, does that make whats been done at abandonia, no better than warez? And i'm talking 'morally' here as well as in 'Reality'.

If abandonia can't justify what it does with a clear set of rules that clearly show why it picks one game over another and, if circumstances change, the status of a game is re-assessed, then what stands it out from being just another illegal warez site?

[Rogue]

I believe to resell the game, they need to redo it, as new computer systems do not suport those games. In that case, it would be a complete new game IMHO.

[DeathDude]

Personally I wouldn't mind seeing companies releasing an updated version of an older classic for it to work on the newer computers, that'd wouldn't be bad. I was always hoping that some would try that.

[Rogue]

LucasArt did, and I got some old titles that way (Lucas Art Archives).

X-Win Collector edition is much better then original.

[TheSmyth]

That'd be the best way for everyone. It can be a nightmare trying to get DosBox / VDM sound to run all of the oldies right.
Much better if there's an official updated copy.
I.e. CGA have the updated version of Command and conquer, with music (still only 50mb!) And it runs perfectly under XP.
Woo Hoo..... Kerchinga!

[Razor2]

Just a few things about CDAccess:

1. They sell software which is OEM: illegal
2. They sell software of companies which went bankrupt not mentioning the new owner of the title: illegal


These 2 things show clearly that CDAccess does quite a few illegal things and people living in a glass house should not throw stones, so they won't try any legal action against us.

[Timpsi]

Originally posted by Razor2+Mar 16 2005, 06:47 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Razor2 @ Mar 16 2005, 06:47 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>Just a few things about CDAccess:

1. They sell software which is OEM: illegal[/b]

Not necessarily. This depends on the OEM licence, and there are more than a few versions of them.

2. They sell software of companies which went bankrupt not mentioning the new owner of the title: illegal

No, it is not illegal to sell old software. They have purchased the products from the wholesaler/publisher, and then proceeded selling them to the end users. They have no obligation to keep track on the current status of the original creators of the products.

These 2 things show clearly that CDAccess does quite a few illegal things and people living in a glass house should not throw stones, so they won't try any legal action against us.

By reading the previous posts it should become evident to you that the possible legal action is not the main reason the admins have placed buy links on the site. Besides, you have very little proof of any illegal action by CDAccess.

EDIT:

<!--QuoteBegin-TheSmyth
If abandonia can't justify what it does with a clear set of rules that clearly show why it picks one game over another and, if circumstances change, the status of a game is re-assessed, then what stands it out from being just another illegal warez site?[/quote]
I'm afraid there aren't many new arguments to bring into the conversation. What I have tried to stress is that Abandonia respects the abandonware ideology, and goes even futher than that in trying to support the retailers. However, it is not always possible to keep track of all the changes in the software market, and therefore there are games that are sold at some software stores on the site - but once these get reported to the admins, the download links get changed to buy links.

What makes Abandonia better than typical warez sites is that Abandonia cares of the people who bring the games to the people, and does its best to support them, while a warez site posts everything they can get hold of, regardless of its availability.

[Wahoo]

No, it is not illegal to sell old software. They have purchased the products from the wholesaler/publisher, and then proceeded selling them to the end users. They have no obligation to keep track on the current status of the original creators of the products.

So you are saying that i can buy a brand new game from a whole saler and sell it off brand new without the permission of, say, blizzard for example?

If they don't keep track of the original creators then it is certanly abandoned. They don't even mention on the site of any of the games not being abandonware at all, so i see no reason for us not to host them.

[Timpsi]

Originally posted by Wahoo@Mar 16 2005, 11:02 PM
So you are saying that i can buy a brand new game from a whole saler and sell it off brand new without the permission of, say, blizzard for example?

This is a common business practice. Nothing odd there. It's simply the way businesses operate.

If they don't keep track of the original creators then it is certanly abandoned. They don't even mention on the site of any of the games not being abandonware at all, so i see no reason for us not to host them.

Er.. It's irrelevant whether the originating company is still alive or not. Also, abandonware has no legal status, and retailers are under no obligation to the abandonware community to determine whether the products they sell fall under the definition of abandonware.

[Timpsi]

Sorry to make a double-post.

I got some answers from CDAccess to my questions about the OEM version of Earthworm Jim that they are selling (mind you, they have the same game up for sale in several different forms, not just OEM).

Originally posted by CDAccess
OEM agreements apply to the initial hardware vendor. They are obliged not to
break the bundle and sell the items separately. They followed the rules,
went out of business, and their inventory was sold off.

The product is 2nd hand but not used since it has never been opened. When a
publisher sells to a distributor and then to a store that product is also
"2nd hand".

I'm happy with that answer. However, apparently they didn't like my questions, and added the following:

Originally posted by CDAccess
Questions like yours indicate that you will never be completely satisfied
with our answers. Because of that, you certainly should not buy it and we
certainly should not sell it to you. Therefore, it is no longer available
for sale.

That's a bit rude, if you ask me. They did not take the games off their site, though, so once again I'm a bit puzzled. No big deal, although I was interested in buying it.