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Custom Cabinet Legality Question
Generic Eric:
--- Quote from: BadMouth on December 05, 2014, 01:29:28 pm ---
--- Quote from: MTPPC on December 05, 2014, 12:35:23 pm ---What are the "requirements" for CD and record jukeboxes?
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--- Quote ---I'm interested in playing music in my restaurant or other business. I know that I need permission for live performances. Do I need permission if I am using only CD's, records, tapes, radio or TV?
Yes, you will need permission to play records or tapes in your establishment. Permission for radio and television transmissions in your business is not needed if the performance is by means of public communication of TV or radio transmissions by eating, drinking, retail or certain other establishments of a certain size which use a limited number of speakers or TVs, and if the reception is not further transmitted (for example, from one room to another) from the place in which it is received, and there is no admission charge. Your local ASCAP licensing manager can discuss your needs and advise how ASCAP can help you.
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.....and they do have people that make their living busting restaurants and bars who don't have a license.
MAMEDev and old arcade companies on the other hand.......
all you'll get is a message board tongue lashing.
The worst you'll get in the U.S. is a local tax guy telling you that you need a permit.
(again, this varies depending on where you live)
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I dunno man. Did you see what they did to that guy that was selling loose cigarettes?
Haze:
I don't know why people insist on trolling the MAME license and claiming it's not valid and therefore taking that as meaning you can do what you want.
Based on actual legal advice I was given a while back.
1) If the MAME license is valid, then it's legally binding, and if you're to stay legal you must abide by it (ie no commercial use)
2) If the MAME license is NOT valid then the software cannot be used at all, by anybody (ie no commercial use)
At no point does either scenario result in MAME being free to use in a commercial environment. It's our software, and even if the license was deemed invalid the copyright of each component would be held by the authors of that component, who would need to grant you permission to use it (ie provide you with a valid license)
The ONLY correct answer to this question is 'buy the original game boards, and operate those in the cabinet'
If you want multi-games there are a handful of legal ones available (Namco's official Pacman Anniversary boards ( http://flyers.arcade-museum.com/?page=flyer&db=videodb&id=5833&image=1 )
Taito's official Qix / Space Invaders hybrid ( http://flyers.arcade-museum.com/?page=flyer&db=videodb&id=3576&image=1 )
The Donkey Kong 3-in-1 Namco put out ( http://flyers.arcade-museum.com/?page=flyer&db=videodb&id=4278&image=1 )
Konami 80's AC Special
and if you're not bothered about them actually being classic games, there are things like SemiCom's XESS New Revolution
The xx-in-1 boards, NeoGeo multicarts etc. are all unlicensed, and rather poor quality too, makes me cringe when I see somewhere running one and it attempts to play the Gyruss music. If you want to be 100% above board and legal you simply can't use them. If you don't care, that's your business and a risk you've decided to take, but bootlegs are bootlegs.
lilshawn:
what if one were to take a board of every one of the "60 in 1" game titles on it and place them all in the bottom of the cabinet.
since you have a board of every game in there, does that magically make it legal then? ...you would have 60 licences worth of hardware (poorly emulated or not) :dunno
Generic Eric:
It seems to me, the reason these posts keep dragging on is, once the correct answer is presented and OP [in any of the hundred of random threads] says he isn't that concerned with the Tax Man, or the 50 shades of color everyone calls the "grey area," other folks try to find ways to rationalize it.
holy run on sentence
As arcade enthusiast, what we should present here is:
If you want to portray an authentic arcade atmosphere, use original cabinets. You can restore them or not. If you can't find an original cabinet, build a replica. 9 out of 10 people won't notice the control panel was off a degree. You indicated you wanted it to match your establishments decor. Build 5 of your chosen design and install the games.
Have Street fighter tournaments. Mortal Kombat Mondays. Truxton Tuesdays.
Watch the documentary 100 Yen http://www.100yenfilm.com/ There is a guy that has shelves full of boards that people select and he connects them and they play. Its real cool.
You'll find that arcade emulation is just a gateway to another expensive collection/hobby/lifestyle. Just don't run a multicade in your bar. It is tacky & as noted, the emulation is lacking in many cases.
lilshawn:
--- Quote from: Generic Eric on December 05, 2014, 03:35:11 pm ---It seems to me, the reason these posts keep dragging on is, once the correct answer is presented and OP [in any of the hundred of random threads] says he isn't that concerned with the Tax Man, or the 50 shades of color everyone calls the "grey area," other folks try to find ways to rationalize it.
holy run on sentence
As arcade enthusiast, what we should present here is:
If you want to portray an authentic arcade atmosphere, use original cabinets. You can restore them or not. If you can't find an original cabinet, build a replica. 9 out of 10 people won't notice the control panel was off a degree. You indicated you wanted it to match your establishments decor. Build 5 of your chosen design and install the games.
Have Street fighter tournaments. Mortal Kombat Mondays. Truxton Tuesdays.
Watch the documentary 100 Yen http://www.100yenfilm.com/ There is a guy that has shelves full of boards that people select and he connects them and they play. Its real cool.
You'll find that arcade emulation is just a gateway to another expensive collection/hobby/lifestyle. Just don't run a multicade in your bar. It is tacky & as noted, the emulation is lacking in many cases.
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you are probably right. As much as we want to make it black and white, it's not. and as much as we TRY to make it black or white it fails because there isn't an all encompassing law that says if x AND y then legal, but, if x OR y then illegal.
and as much as i want to say HEY WE'VE GONE OVER THIS 100 TIMES NOW! (and we have) but we've come up with all kinds of different answers.
Short answer: nobody seems to know 100%