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cant seem to grasp why mame is 'illegal' for commercial use

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RayB:

And the idea you can lose copyright by not enforcing it is bull. That is true of TRADEMARKS. Because otherwise companies would trademark all sorts of names and not use them, but "lock up" all the good names.

Ark, you're the guy who thought you could copyright a mechanical device, so why are you so vocal in this matter? How about you sit back and learn something.

J.Max:


--- Quote from: pinballjim on February 03, 2010, 09:15:35 pm ---
--- Quote from: J.Max on February 03, 2010, 03:42:15 pm ---That's why Nintendo sues everyone and everything...

--- End quote ---

You MUST be joking.  People were selling Game Doctors in GamePro in the 90s.  The only DS flashcart they went after was the R4, years after the market had moved on.  You can still get them anywhere for less than $20.  There were mall kiosks all over the country selling XXX-in-1 joysticks with dozens of NES roms on them.  They haven't bothered to shut down the Donkey Kong 2 guy.  At any point in time, there's at least a dozen people selling XX-in-1 JAMMA boards on e-bay.

And on and on and on....


--- End quote ---

Nintendo was just the best example that I could think of at the time.  You're right about that, obviously...I just couldn't think of any other company suing (or even sending out C&Ds).  Maybe Incredible Technology is a better example?



J.Max:


--- Quote from: RayB on February 03, 2010, 10:33:12 pm ---And the idea you can lose copyright by not enforcing it is bull. That is true of TRADEMARKS. Because otherwise companies would trademark all sorts of names and not use them, but "lock up" all the good names.

Ark, you're the guy who thought you could copyright a mechanical device, so why are you so vocal in this matter? How about you sit back and learn something.

--- End quote ---

Correct, strictly speaking.  I'm too tired to look up the names, but there have been some cases where a company went some time without enforcing a copyright, and the rights to said intellectual property were considered public domain.  I'll have to look them up, but if I remember correctly, they involved radio broadcasts from the 30s.  I'm pretty sure there's precedent on those, but it's been a long day...

scept1c:

yeah, waiting games should be on free play imo

Blanka:


--- Quote from: RayB on February 03, 2010, 10:33:12 pm ---And the idea you can lose copyright by not enforcing it is bull. That is true of TRADEMARKS.
--- End quote ---
That's not true for trademarks either. If you have a trademark, and not enforce it, but you pay the fee, your trademark stays valid forever. Others can file a similar name though, but they can't sue you if you start using it again.

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