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How do you know your JAMMA PCB is legal?
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CheffoJeffo:

--- Quote from: Driver-Man on September 13, 2010, 04:05:31 am ---
--- Quote from: CheffoJeffo ---I'll bet I have bought more of these boards than you have and have NEVER received any declaration that the product was legal or authorized for use.

--- End quote ---

I'll bet you thought you were on "good side", together with everyone else.

Sorry, now go and destroy your illegal product(s), or license them properly!

--- End quote ---

Actually, that was kinda the point ... I'm NOT on the good side.
Driver-Man:
I'm with you CheffoJeffo, and thank you for not insulting me.

Buying this 60-in-1, it's like paying a "friend" to setup MAME for you, only you get it on nice compact "Computer-On-Module". And if you look at the price of that hardware it is clear that whatever emulator and ROMs included, they actually come for free. -- In other words, if you wanted to buy such "Single-Board-Computer" as 60-in-1 PCB, then you would not be able to get it much cheaper than what the cost of 60-in-1 already is, plus you would then need to cross-compile MAME for another platform and do all the setup, roll-backs, and what not so it can run smoothly/correctly on that very week platform.

I really do not see why would any MAME developer disprove purchase of such nice, compact piece of hardware. Would it be better if I now, after I bought it, go and download MAME for free, would that make it better? This just doesn't make sense.
======================

http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=13339

davidrfoley: - "Actually, you have your facts wrong. If you read the threads, including comments by Aaron Giles, I contacted the MAME team many times in an effort to stop people from selling commercial machines with MAME installed, advertising them with the MAME name, and competing against UltraCade machines. We paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in license fees to companies such as Capcom, Taito, Jaleco, and Midway for the rights to publish the games. When the MAME team refused to respond, we took a completely legal action to file a trademark to use the MAME name and stop the unlicensed competition. Once the MAME team contacted me, I, as I had always offered, worked with them to secure the registration and put a stop to the commercial use that going unchecked...."


Is Foley a good guy or bad guy?

He sounds a lot like Haze, or does he?
saint:

--- Quote from: Driver-Man on September 13, 2010, 07:39:35 am ---I really do not see why would any MAME developer disprove purchase of such nice, compact piece of hardware. Would it be better if I now, after I bought it, go and download MAME for free, would that make it better? This just doesn't make sense.

--- End quote ---

You don't have to understand their reasoning to understand that you are using a product that is not authorized by them and violates their license. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Those hardware products use MAME. Those hardware products are using MAME without a license from the MAME developers to do so, and in direct violation of the terms of the MAME license.

Come up with any personal moral justification you want, but there's no question it's an unauthorized use of their code.
Driver-Man:
Ok, yes, let me rephrase.

I sure agree MAME is entitled to take a share of profit from, say, Ultracade sales, and I suppose they indeed got some money from Foley, since he also seem to have helped register MAME (logo/name?) with copyright office, or so he says.

However, I also believe that if "MAME team" voted whether they wanted to stop production and import of 60-in-1 PCBs, then majority would not mind, but some might even take pride or satisfaction their work ended up in little board which can make people happy. I do not think anyone would vote for the ban really.

And I do not think it's anyone's concern whether ROMs are licensed or not, that's between copyright owners and the factory. Perhaps factory genuinely believes to have all the necessary rights to copy those games, and perhaps they do, who are we to judge? If copyright owners wanted they could easily report offending X-in-1 PCBs to customs office and make it illegal for real. -- MAME could just as easily report these PCBs to customs office, but to me that would be strange, just as strange as if they decided to charge for downloads.


P.S.
I'm not making any PCBs, nor am I selling any. I'm just playing. There is no disrespect to MAME if I pay instead of download it for free. There is also no point in boycotting these PCBs as that would place you in unfair market, while MAME team if wanted only need to speak to the customs office and all the offending PCBs using MAME would be declared illegal and banned for import, maybe even banned from the market and stores... or so it would seem, in theory.

lilshawn:
QUESTION:

if we paid a licencing fee to the developers/owners  of these ROMs upon purchase of the xxx in one board, would that then make it legal?

ANSWER:

I would certainly hope so.

STATEMENT:

I believe there is no system in place whereby a consumer such as Driver-Man can go to pay reparations for such a product to make the ROM's contained in it legal. If there was, i'm sure people would do it.... wouldn't we?
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