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Is selling MAME (commercially) illegal?
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denete:
I just saw an ad on Craigslist for a company that sells "Authentic Arcade Games For The Home and Small Office".  After reading through their information, I noticed that they are essentially selling mame'd cabinets.  They even have their "Multigame Arcade Manual" online that shows they are running Mamewah and references there being 6000 games on the box.

Anyhow, I was just wondering if it was legal to sell this commercially.

Link removed by saint

- David
Zebidee:
Let me put it this way.

What they are doing is not more illegal than the multi-game jamma boards that have 400 or 1000 odd games in them.

Those 1000 in one jamma boards are actually computers with mobos, video cards & hard disks running some hacked version of mame on them.  We seem to legally tolerate them quite happily, and they are sold on ebay by the zillion, despite this.

I've tried tracking the multi-game PCB companies down before - they are usually fly-by-night companies with a Chinese address.  Each board seems to have a different manufacturer, who moves around a bit it seems.

Might be best to ask if classicgaming is actually providing a useful service?
leapinlew:

--- Quote from: denete on October 10, 2007, 11:24:44 pm ---I just saw an ad on Craigslist for a company that sells "Authentic Arcade Games For The Home and Small Office".  After reading through their information, I noticed that they are essentially selling mame'd cabinets.  They even have their "Multigame Arcade Manual" online that shows they are running Mamewah and references there being 6000 games on the box.

Anyhow, I was just wondering if it was legal to sell this commercially.

Link removed by saint

- David

--- End quote ---
yes
bfauska:
Lew,

As cut and dry as your answer seems on the surface, it is actually very vague.  Are you answering the question in the post title, or the question at the end of the original post?  I believe I know the answer, but some may not.
Zebidee:
Truth is, there may be more than one right answer.  Especially when you consider the multijurisdictional aspects of it, and the different ways in which it may arise.  For example, the US has different legal and policy approaches to the fundamental issues involved than Australia does.

Personally, I prefer the Aussie approach as it is a more technologically mature approach to management of copyright matters in a modern context.

Anyway, I guess what I'm getting at is that the issue has a habit of bringing out black and white points of view from people, which is the wrong way to approach an issue that is actually grey, evolving and very complex. 

That's what bfauska was trying to say, I think ;)
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