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ROM legality and dumping (mame - beatmania)
my58vw:
Hello all,
I currently own a beatmania machine with 10 of the 13 mixes (2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, Complete Mix, Complete Mix 2, Dreams Come True, The Final). I inquired about ripping the HDDs but found out that I would have to send out the kits to have them dumped. Now mame has all the mixes (except club, 7th, and the final). Here is the question. Since I have the final and 7th Mix I am trying to get someone to dump them for me so they can be in mame, but don't know who to go to. The real question though is legality.
I am moving to an apartment, and leaving the machine at my parents place (I go there on the weekends). I want to build a tabletop beatmania machine, but using mame instead of one of my extra boards. The question is, am I legal to run the roms in my tabletop if I own the actual arcade hardware?
Thanks again!
ark_ader:
Yep.
DeLuSioNal29:
A wholehearted yes.
Technically, if you run any MAME game you should own the original hardware.
my58vw:
Great - thank You!!!
Now to start the project!!
Does anyone know who can dump the hdds for me?
saint:
The answer to that question is not yes. It's not necessarily no. As far as I know the question has never been legally defined nor addressed by the courts. You likely have a legal right to backup media you own (and arcade boards and their contents could arguably be considered media). However, I've not seen that right defined or expanded to include making a copy for use in different hardware.
Now - morally I think you're fine, assuming only one copy of the material will be in use at one time with the same owner. Legally however, I don't think there is any clear answer.
--- saint