Is this piracy/legit?

[TheVrolok]

I was looking through my CD case a few minutes ago and I saw System Shock 2 and thought, "Hey, that's a GREAT game many people haven't played." Then I thought about how I'm going to college this coming fall. Then I wondered, would it be legit to let someone borrow a copy of a game to play? Like borrowing a movie/CD? Then I took it a bit further and realized that college male freshmen may not be the most responsible people on this planet, so could I burn a copy of the game(supply the no-cd crack if necessary) - i.e. make a backup - and let a person borrow that copy to play. Then once they finish it and give it back I could just keep it as a backup or throw it away. Keep in mind the whole time he'd be borrowing it I wouldn't be playing off the real CD, odds are I wouldn't even have it installed. .... Would that be legit?

 

[Davegod]

either way, i doubt your going to be arrested for it.

technically it probably isnt legit since you would have a copy and your friend would have a copy, and its only 1 liscence.

 

[TheVrolok]

Originally posted by: Davegod
either way, i doubt your going to be arrested for it.

technically it probably isnt legit since you would have a copy and your friend would have a copy, and its only 1 liscence.

Nod, I'm not really worried about getting caught. It's more of a theoretical question. Even with 1 license tho, I was under the impression that it is completely legal to make a backup copy of a disc, and even use a no-cd patch. Hence why GameCopyWorld still exists, but I wonder if you must also then be in possession of both of those copies at all times.

 

[MrChad]

Originally posted by: TheVrolok

Originally posted by: Davegod
either way, i doubt your going to be arrested for it.

technically it probably isnt legit since you would have a copy and your friend would have a copy, and its only 1 liscence.

Nod, I'm not really worried about getting caught. It's more of a theoretical question. Even with 1 license tho, I was under the impression that it is completely legal to make a backup copy of a disc, and even use a no-cd patch. Hence why GameCopyWorld still exists, but I wonder if you must also then be in possession of both of those copies at all times.

It's legal to make a backup copy of a disc, but under the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA), it's illegal to circumvent any copy protection measures that the copyright holder has placed in the product. I'm not sure where the legality of no-cd patches falls under DMCA, but I'd imagine it's questionable. I would also imagine that it's a violation of your license agreement to distribute any backup copies you make.

 

[xizor]

to me its not illegal to let someone borrow your game using the real cd's, so it shouldn't be illegal to lend someone copied cd's as long as you aren't playing it at the same time and the copies are destroyed.

i however am a male college student and use my oppurtunities to the max, so i shouldn't be talking about legality

 

[Syn]

I doubt you will find anybody that cares.I've seen SS2 on a couple well known abandonware sites for download.

 

[beatle]

I think there was a question similar to this on the FS/FT forum. A user was selling a copy of a cd since the original was scratched/broken. He included the original in the sale, so most everyone agreed that it was a legit sale. In this case, it would be like making a backup of a game to let your kids play so they don't wreck the original, except that this friend isn't your kid.

 

[TheVrolok]

Originally posted by: beatle
I think there was a question similar to this on the FS/FT forum. A user was selling a copy of a cd since the original was scratched/broken. He included the original in the sale, so most everyone agreed that it was a legit sale. In this case, it would be like making a backup of a game to let your kids play so they don't wreck the original, except that this friend isn't your kid.

That's the basic logic I was using. As long as both CDs would never be in use at the same time, it would be as if there were only 1 copy of the CD.

 

[Renob]

That's the basic logic I was using. As long as both CDs would never be in use at the same time, it would be as if there were only 1 copy of the CD

Read the agreement and you will see your basic logic is flawed.

 

[TheVrolok]

Originally posted by: Renob
That's the basic logic I was using. As long as both CDs would never be in use at the same time, it would be as if there were only 1 copy of the CD

Read the agreement and you will see your basic logic is flawed.

Is that how most licensing agreements work? Only 1 copy must exist? And/or copies cannot be removed from possession?

 

[NapalmKing]

In my country, Portugal, it is completely legal to do that.

 

[Renob]

Is that how most licensing agreements work? Only 1 copy must exist? And/or copies cannot be removed from possession?

You cant have it on 2 machines even if you only use one machine at a time.

 

[TheVrolok]

Originally posted by: Renob
Is that how most licensing agreements work? Only 1 copy must exist? And/or copies cannot be removed from possession?

You cant have it on 2 machines even if you only use one machine at a time.

Well yeah, I assumed that. But I'm saying that if I don't even have the game installed. Like I wouldn't be playing it at all. I'm talking more about older games than newer ones.

 

[Mday]

as far as i am concerned, if you have the cd, you have a right to a no-cd hack. however, if you dont have the cd, NO, its not legit. as far as the industry goes, the no-cd hack violates the license.