Comment Re:A suggestion to the MAME community (Score 1) 829
Don't act all high and mighty because you're attempting to be legimate. By trying to make a business that profits from MAME you harm it as much or more than any of the other parasites. The MAME project is not about money, by using it to make money you take this project out of the domain of harmless fun with ancient copyrights and bring licensing back into question.
I won't argue the legitimacy of those ancient copyrights with you, my point is that if there was no money involved in this scene, no companies like yours, then nobody would care enough to take away our fun and games. It's only truly theft when someone like you walks away with something in their pocket.
You say, "If the community is all about the legal use of these games".
I can't speak for them, but I would guess that this is not what the community is all about, as that would imply an interest in the business concerns involved, it would mean they were all about the MONEY. The question of legality of ROMS has been pointedly avoided for the most part for exactly this reason.. it's not about the business of it. The hope that most have kept is that the owners of the old property in question would free it up eventually, or at the least keep letting it slide as it's NOT for profit.
So here you are, showing them that they can still make a few bucks off of it, so that you can make a few too, and to top it off you start threatening legal action where it has so far been avoided.
I don't feel guilty when I play a few rounds of my "illegal" copy of Joust, but you should feel guilty for preaching about stolen ROMS for your own personal gain. Have some respect.
I won't argue the legitimacy of those ancient copyrights with you, my point is that if there was no money involved in this scene, no companies like yours, then nobody would care enough to take away our fun and games. It's only truly theft when someone like you walks away with something in their pocket.
You say, "If the community is all about the legal use of these games".
I can't speak for them, but I would guess that this is not what the community is all about, as that would imply an interest in the business concerns involved, it would mean they were all about the MONEY. The question of legality of ROMS has been pointedly avoided for the most part for exactly this reason.. it's not about the business of it. The hope that most have kept is that the owners of the old property in question would free it up eventually, or at the least keep letting it slide as it's NOT for profit.
So here you are, showing them that they can still make a few bucks off of it, so that you can make a few too, and to top it off you start threatening legal action where it has so far been avoided.
I don't feel guilty when I play a few rounds of my "illegal" copy of Joust, but you should feel guilty for preaching about stolen ROMS for your own personal gain. Have some respect.
