icemann on 24/8/2018 at 08:55
So this week, Nintendo went after several prominent Rom hosting sites. By Roms, I'm referring to digital versions of console videogames (aka Roms).
If this were for the Nintendo Switch or the Wii U I'd get it. But the sites it went after were primarily hosting just Super Nintendo roms and NES etc. Systems from decades ago, and the majority of the games on them were from other companies which Nintendo does not own the IP for (aka Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger, Shadowrun, Friday the 13th etc etc).
So my question to you guys. Should a Console company have the right to be able to go after these sites, even though they don't own the IP of many of the games in question but were the makes of the platform that those games ran on?
The other problem with all of this is that emulation provides preservation for many of these games. Nintendo doesn't own the IP, so they can't legally put them up for sale on their services unless the makers of said games want that to happen. Many of these games companies don't even exist anymore. So if you take emulation out of the equation then that's it. The games gone forever.
Tommyph1208 on 24/8/2018 at 12:58
Nah, its bullshit...
Govern the IP that you still have commercial interest in? ... Sure. But this...? It sounds more like a statement thing (ie. "we do not tolerate piracy associated with our name and brand in any shape, way or form") than actual sanity.
A lot of good work actually goes on in those communities that share and preserve ROMs, as you also mention, without them a lot of those classics would just fade away, say for the very few eccentric collectors who still owns an original system and game cartridge.
Renault on 24/8/2018 at 14:17
Even if they don't own the IP, I'm guessing they still make money on it if it's sold on the Nintendo eshop.
I love roms and I have piles of them on my various PCs and devices spread throughout my house. But I'm not going to fool myself into thinking I have any right to have all these games for free. I really don't have a problem with Nintendo trying to protect their interests.
Starker on 24/8/2018 at 15:02
Nintendo does plan to sell classic games on their Switch store, so it's not like they have no commercial interest in old games. Also, remember those mini-consoles that people couldn't get enough of?
Also, if you think this is going too far, in Japan they are shutting down video game bars and arresting the owners largely thanks to Nintendo. Even renting games is illegal largely thanks to one company I don't think you even have to guess at this point.
icemann on 24/8/2018 at 15:56
That's just crazy.
And I'm not talking in regards to our rights to legally download the roms. I'm strictly speaking on whether or not Nintendo has the right to go after the sites for all of the roms they host, when they (Nintendo) only own the IP of a small percentage of those games.
For me it's like the makers of a DVD player going after people sharing movies online, since those movies play on their players. Even though said DVD player company did not produce those movies. In my mind, the only company legally in their right to go after such people would be the producers of those movies. Or if Valve would to go after PC game pirates, over games they don't the IP for, but which were offered for sale on their service.
Renault on 24/8/2018 at 16:22
The articles I've read this morning (since seeing this thread) only indicated that Nintendo was suing for their games only. LoveRoms took only Nintendo stuff off of their site. Two others, LoveRetro and EmuParadise, made all their roms unavailable, but only because of the potential threat of future lawsuits. So I don't think Nintendo is suing anyone over non-Nintendo games.
Jason Moyer on 24/8/2018 at 19:53
Fuck Nintendo. The purpose of IP law was to allow people who create things to have the ability to benefit from those things in order to promote the further creation of new things, not for corporations to profit off of old shit for perpetuity. IMO, once something is no longer available for sale and/or no longer supporting the person/persons who created it, it should enter the public domain.
Maxrebo6 on 24/8/2018 at 23:31
Exactly,IP and Copyright law have been abused by companies for far too long.Its especially bad in the case of gaming other creative forms of media because stuff can become lost to history.I can see going after piracy when its stuff that is currently still being sold and readily available.
But if its being downloaded because its not being sold or supported anymore,or it was never released in your region and you want to play it with a translation patch then that shouldn't be a problem anymore.I would hate for games to lost to time because of licensing issues,bankruptcy and other corporate BS.
If you are not offering consumers and option to buy the stuff they want because of licensing issues,translations or laziness then you have no right to complain when people download it for free,since you aren't currently making money on it at all or at least just in that region,and its even worse if you never had any intention of putting up for sale again,because you can't claim a loss of profits on profits you were never gonna make.The only people who lose in that scenario are second hand price hikers.
I would hate to see games like NOLF,Goldeneye,any of the untranslated JRPGs or the best version of games made by companies who refuse to release or support them on other platforms be lost to time despite these companies not offering them for sale and thus not losing anything.
Renzatic on 25/8/2018 at 07:31
Speaking of Nintendo and emulation, I just got through toying around with a Raspberry Pi 3 in a snazzy NES style case. The thing was all around pretty damn slick, even the case looked like an actual NES Mini (I believe it was (
https://www.amazon.com/Retroflag-Functional-button-Shutdown-Raspberry/dp/B07BRHDVTN) this one), complete with nearly exact replicas of NES and SNES controllers to play with.
Playing Super-C two player was pure nostalgia. All I needed was a woody console TV and Guns 'n Roses on the radio, and the experience would've been complete.
