if you do own the original game, it is not illegal, but if you dont, well then yeah, it is. although if you find a flash version of one of your favorite games, you can then use mozilla firefox to download this flash game to your desktop, flashdrive etc. or just bookmark it
Actually it is illegal. You many one a working copy of the game, but that's still one copy. By downloading a copy, that's taking profit away from the company that released the game is the first place, which in reality, is stealing. It's just as bad as shoplifting from a gas station.
Depends which country you mean. In some countries, downloading is legal, uploading isn't. In some downloading is illigal already. If you own a copy, you own the rights to play it, and thus the rights to download it. The same goes with cracks. They are not illigal, as long as you own the proper game. Not sure if this counts with serials though, but serials are a risk themselves already. You can get banned for an illigal serial.
Actually it is illegal. You many one a working copy of the game, but that's still one copy.
It's not based on copies, but on rights. They are included when you buy a game. If you bought it, downloading is actualy legal. For example, I own dungeon siege 2, but I accidentally lost cd 1/4. I still have everything else, but I am legal to download CD one from the internet. I'm 100 % sure I wasn't doing anything illigal back then
and for dutch people, as far as I know, it's still legal to actually download, but you're not allowed to upload. That, is as far as I know it.
In some countries, it is legal for an individual to personally make backup copies of a game they own. Individuals may make backup copies for various reasons, perhaps as insurance against losing the game or as redundancy in the event that the original game's medium becomes unreadable.
I believe i read something similar back in the day, if you own a copy of a game "okemon" in my case, you may use the rom for that game. This is in Australia though, either way, it doesnt stop anyone from downloading and using them, just a legal buffer of sorts if you do get caught.
I got into an arguement about this with my friend the other day. He had pokemon on some kind of emulator on his phone and I was saying it is illegal because you're giving the rights to play that copy of the game that is found exclusively in the game cartridge. Of course since he has it he thinks that it is legal.
I've always read that it's legal to download roms of games you own. If you download games you don't own, it is noted that you should delete them after "sampling" the game.
Although it is illegal to download roms, I have never heard of anyone getting in trouble for downloading them.
Because it is illegal, note that any threads asking for sites to download roms will be deleted. Sorry.
Better safe than sorry - that's the decent approach, but let's face it: most people want to take everything they have a right to take.
I think that if you obtain or make a backup and keep it well-hidden away (e.g. in a sealed envelope in a safety deposit box), you shouldn't get in trouble since you are not actually using the copy to take away revenue from the copyright owner.
It would definitely be something I would be willing to do if I loved a game to bits and knew that I would continue to do so long after the game went out of print with no second hand versions available either. By that time, the publisher must have lost all interest and you are only guilty of keeping a bit of nostalgia for yourself to enjoy.
I think most courts would be lenient if you were to download illegally while you owned a legal copy AND had the copy stashed away for backup purposes only.
Well if we're talking about a classic game... that's only worth a few cents in reality and maybe a dollar at the most on the Wii network... I doubt they'd pursue you. But if you had a copy of a more recent game I'm pretty sure they'd care. Either way I bet it is illegal
I've read that it is illegal to download roms, even if you own and have purchased the game. But that doesn't mean I believe that. You should probably ask some console developers or something. If you know anyone from Microsoft that makes games, ask them.
