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Custom Cabinet Legality Question

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wp34:


--- 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


--- End quote ---

That was pretty well put for a run on sentence.

danny_galaga:


--- Quote from: BobA on December 05, 2014, 05:52:38 pm ---The legal licensing of arcade games in a lot of places is more of a problem.   State and local regulations must be met and whether the game is legal or not the use of the arcade cabinet in a place of business must be OK'd by the local authority who really just care about license fees.

--- End quote ---

This. The main thing 'The Man' is usually worried about is licensing, and safety. In Australia, anything electrical in a public venue has to be 'tested and tagged' by a licensed electrician. And then there is some sort of licensing to operate coin ops in a venue. Even if they are free-to-play, there is probably some sort of requirement that someone will need to look at them. I suspect there are vaguely similar laws in most first world countries, and you can't get much more first world than Finland.

RoyalScam:


--- Quote from: yotsuya on December 05, 2014, 12:04:34 pm ---
I would think this is akin to taking your CD collection, throwing it in a jukebox, putting in a bar, then saying "I don't have to pay ASCAP because I own those CDs!".

--- End quote ---

--- Quote from: BadMouth on December 05, 2014, 01:29:28 pm ---
.....and they do have people that make their living busting restaurants and bars who don't have a license.


--- End quote ---

I owned a Restaurant for 20+ years.  I had 8 speakers installed in the ceiling that were driven by a cheap Emerson  Turntable/AM/FM Radio with twin tape decks.  ASCAP charged me per speaker and for each individual media player (turntable, radios and tape decks).  At the time I thought it was a scam, until I was served papers.  We were blessed with customers that shared my warped sense of humor.  I removed the speakers and the cheap stereo and bought 12 battery operated portable radios and placed them on random tables.  When the 'regulars' saw them I explained that ASCAP wanted me to pay IIRC $1100.00 per year for the music, but if my customers brought their own radios and played them I wouldn't have to pay.  When ASCAP and later BMI came in to inspect, they found no installed media systems, but a lot of customers playing their own individual radios.  That lasted for about two years until I installed another radio system.  ASCAP never returned.

Sorry for the hijack,
Scam

aphraxad:

All kinds of good advice here.  I think i'm just going to be safe and avoid roms all together.  I will probably just stick an LED TV and a PS4 in one cab to run the new street fighter and mortal kombat games. Stick a PC in one and run the pacman collection off steam, and maybe a PS2 in a couple others that have a copy of namco museum or something like that.  Then the cases will just be controllers with a TV mounted in them and my bar will have a couple consoles in it people can play games on.

IAmDotorg:


--- Quote from: aphraxad on December 08, 2014, 07:49:27 am ---All kinds of good advice here.  I think i'm just going to be safe and avoid roms all together.  I will probably just stick an LED TV and a PS4 in one cab to run the new street fighter and mortal kombat games. Stick a PC in one and run the pacman collection off steam, and maybe a PS2 in a couple others that have a copy of namco museum or something like that.  Then the cases will just be controllers with a TV mounted in them and my bar will have a couple consoles in it people can play games on.

--- End quote ---

Prepare to be surprised -- you can't do that either, legally. The SCA license for the system software on the PS4 allows only personal, non-commercial use:

"Subject to this Agreement's terms, SCE grants you a non-exclusive, non-commercial right to use System Software solely on your PS4 system. Your rights to use previous versions of System Software other than the current version of System Software terminates as soon as you can receive or have the most current version of System Software installed on your PS4 system."

The patent licenses associated with it are also for non-commercial use.

Most game publishers, if not all, explicitly limit commercial use of their software, as well.

EA's license:
"Through this purchase, you are acquiring and EA grants you a
personal, limited, non-exclusive license to install and use the Software
for your non-commercial use solely as set forth in this License and the
accompanying documentation. Your acquired rights are subject to your
compliance with this Agreement."

Its no different than the license you get when you buy a bluray or music -- you can't legally use it in any commercial setting (free or for money) without buying a *commercial* license.



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