| Main > Main Forum |
| How do you know your JAMMA PCB is legal? |
| (1/35) > >> |
| Driver-Man:
1.) I have 450-in-1, it runs on x86 PC with AdvanceMAME and ArcadeOS. I did not expect this to come with any papers explaining how game ROMs are licensed by the original game maker/publisher. The question here is whether this "PCB" classify as "bootleg" in the same way as there were Donkey Kong bootlegs in the 80's? 2.) I also have popular 60-in-1 PCB, which runs on some ARM based 'Computer-On-Module', most likely with some version of MAME too. Again, there were not any papers saying anything about legality, copyright or licensing of those game ROMs. I suppose my 60-in-1 is "bootleg" then as well, but is there such thing as 60-in-1 PCB that actually comes with some piece of paper saying the games are licensed? How does that piece of paper look like? And finally, who is this manufacturer, what is the company with ALL the necessary copyright licenses to produce PCBs with all those ROMs today? What about arcade "abandonware", what's with the games whose makers and copyright holders do not exist anymore, can anyone object if I operate or sell those games? What is the difference in legality: a.) Made in China: IBM PC clone - legal? b.) Made in China: Namco Galaga clone - not legal? 3.) Ok, so you buy "actual", 20-something years old PCB, say Frogger. Do you expect it to come with a piece of paper saying something about it being "original", licensed or whatever? And if you do not have that piece of paper, how legal is then for you to put that PCB in arcade shop, or sell it on e-bay? I do not have any information about 'how much legal' was to operate bootleg PCBs 20 years ago in arcade shops. Were there any legal lawsuits and police raids in relation to this back then? And today, is there anyone doing anything about today's bootlegs? Is there "arcade police" opening your cabinets and asking for papers, permits and licenses for your games? And my last question, is it "less legal" to operate/sell 20 year old single-game bootlegs, or today's multi-game MAME based bootlegs? |
| jimmy2x2x:
Technically I think all forms of bootlegs are illegal. The risk of prosecution will vary by the amount of public exposure the cabinet receives, the authenticity of the bootleg, popularity and earnings are large factors too. If its in your basement and played on by your friends and family I couldn't envisage a situation where a realistic risk of prosecution would arise. However if you had 100 such machines sited in popular central locations, the risk would be a lot more significant as the exposure has greatly increased, along with potential earnings - this is what attracts the real attention, money. When money is involved people get jealous - maybe another operator would tell the appropriate authorities etc.. |
| Driver-Man:
Yes, ok, but first I need to know whether my JAMMA PCB is legal to start with. -- How do you know your JAMMA PCBs are legal? Did you get any papers with any of the PCBs you have? Have you ever seen any such paper, or heard of it? For example, where does it say that "Donkey Kong by Nintendo" is legal, and that "Crazy Kong by Falcon/Alca/Orca" is bootleg? Did any of the original PCBs come with some piece of paper, some proof of originality, something like 'Windows serial number sticker'? So, is my 60-in-1 legal or not? How can I tell? And, all those 60-in-1 PCBs in all the arcades in the world, are any of them actually legal? |
| WhereEaglesDare:
--- Quote from: Driver-Man on September 09, 2010, 11:38:25 pm ---Yes, ok, but first I need to know whether my JAMMA PCB is legal to start with. -- How do you know your JAMMA PCBs are legal? Did you get any papers with any of the PCBs you have? Have you ever seen any such paper, or heard of it? For example, where does it say that "Donkey Kong by Nintendo" is legal, and that "Crazy Kong by Falcon/Alca/Orca" is bootleg? Did any the original PCBs come with some piece of paper, some proof of originality, something like today's 'Windows serial number sticker'? So, is my 60-in-1 legal or not? How can I tell? And, all those 60-in-1 PCBs in all the arcades in the world, are any of them actually legal? --- End quote --- I dot think that any of the 60-1 boards are "legal"... why does it matter? Are you going to charge to play? |
| jimmy2x2x:
If you want to know about a specific PCB then you could ask about it here or maybe on KLOV. I don't think there is any quick at-a-glance way to identify bootlegs, some are more obvious than others with very different board layouts or missing key design elements like manufacturers logos etc.. I wouldn't put any weight in any paperwork you might acquire with a board, its the board itself you need to examine and verify. |
| Navigation |
| Message Index |
| Next page |