Main > Everything Else
Discussion: Ultracade and the Mame Trademark
Havok:
Here's a good read:
http://www.copyright.gov/1201/
ROMs are legal - if you own the original equipment. I point you to this paragraph:
"(3) Computer programs and video games distributed in formats that have become obsolete and which require the original media or hardware as a condition of access. A format shall be considered obsolete if the machine or system necessary to render perceptible a work stored in that format is no longer manufactured or is no longer reasonably available in the commercial marketplace."
There are grey areas, to be sure, however it can certainly be argued that they are obsolete (sigh!)
And my two cents about iROMS - not me, not now, not ever.
Star ROMs - You bet!
paigeoliver:
And also note, the releases are NOT the same programs. They are always different. The Ms. Pac-Mans and Galaga's released in 2001 contain new code and are not the same programs.
If you can't buy it brand new from the distributor or obtain it easily through normal distribution chains then it is obsolete. Note the idea of normal distribution chains? That doesn't mean buying that (possibly bootleg, could be broken, probably will break next week) PCB from gameZDude69 (Feedback 82 percent) on ebay.
The lovely lovely part of that part of the law is that fact that it does not define the hardware. I can no longer render "Galaga" because my cabinet has fallen apart, molded, and rusted away to the point where the only thing left is the marquee rail, but I can still render the game thanks to exception number 3.
paigeoliver:
Hmm, I just perused Ultracades offerings in the recent Happ catalog.
They are completely missing the boat.
Their universal conversion kit is $1495.
If they could get a non-commercial (home use, all games locked to free play) Universal conversion kit out there for $995 then they would sell, sell, sell. People pay $695 now for the crappy 39 in 1.
Most of the builder's that are competing with them would start using their products instead of Mame.
At $1500 the amateur builders can't turn a profit using their kits. I could get about $2000 for a nice clean 25" Ultracade equipped cabinet, and probably $1800 for a 19" one. But with their current kit prices I couldn't turn a profit. But if they had a non-commercial kit (which would be cheaper for them for sure, their arcade legends ones are non-commercial and are cheaper) for $1000 I could toss business their way and so could a lot of the other part time builders.
Edgedamage:
--- Quote from: scatter on March 02, 2005, 06:20:57 pm ---About the Ultracade HD Image. Just FYI. The one I dissected
--- End quote ---
Crazy Cooter:
--- Quote from: paigeoliver on March 03, 2005, 02:26:08 am ---... rusted away to the point where the only thing left is the marquee rail, but I can still render the game thanks to exception number 3.
--- End quote ---
LOL. That's what I've been saying too. Nobody has shown that the ROM's are illegal. If they are, how much of the original do you need in order to play your "backup"? The courts have never dealt with it.
Anyhow...
With all this interest in JoshuaOS, make sure you discuss with him the Foley situation. Ask him to pull his license.
Boycott Ultracade & Arcade Legends & Chicago Gaming & System99 & HyperWare & Nextune! This list is getting long. Why does Foley have to keep changing his business names? Taxes? There's something with this...