View Full Version : Game companies stand up against illegal downloaders
Article from The Times, Computer games industry threat to downloaders: pay up or well sue (http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/gadgets_and_gaming/article4569180.ece)
Let the debate start!
Ryuu's_Ghost
20-08-08, 11:08
It will not change a thing several publishers say they wont sue and going after the people and not the source is just retarded.
Unless its actually legal to look into someones computer without said persons permissions, I doubt thisll stand in court.
Besides, it feels kind of useless to threaten gamers by picking a small group of people to sue. Theres millions of people who actually do this, so itd be like trying to stop people from using download services to get MP3s instead of buying CDs. Youre better off fighting the people who offer the downloads to people.
thezombiemessia
20-08-08, 11:42
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/new...hp?story=19392
Another good article about game piracy.
I say good for them. Sure, it may not stop it completely, but its sure to have an effect on some of them. If game piracy can be cut even by a small amount, that is still a win to the games industry.
Falkenberg
21-08-08, 06:22
Maybe GameProd should use codes like virus writers use too hijack your files but this too protect theyre games maybe the solution lies within coorporation with console manufactuors cant say how too fix it for PC games yeah why not use the expertise from the virus front.....:devil:
Triple Seven
21-08-08, 10:25
Without knowing the exact legal background and costs involved its hard to comment on this.
Ryuu's_Ghost
21-08-08, 11:54
Did the music download purge a while back work? because this Idea will just fail, all the torrents on the net prove that.
I have never felt the need to illegally download a game, I love having a collection of real games in cases, same with DVDs.
No talking about personal illegal activities, please.
No talking about personal illegal activities, please.
Sorry, but its not really a problem if I buy the real copies after, I only ever download music that I have already heard so I know I like it, and then as soon as I can I buy the actual copy, unless of course the song is unlicensed in the UK and not sold here, like a lot of J-Rock.
music companys dont look at it like that.
But as she is the admin of the forum i would sugest you would comply to what she asks and also the forum rules do state to no talk on anyones ilegal activities you may or may not be doing. ;)
This topic is for those who get cought and punished and rightly so.
Just to clarify, downloading copyrighted material without consent is illegal. Downloading a game to have a look at it is illegal, even if you then buy a legitimate copy, and the same applies to music, film and whatnot.
Please remember that this is a proprietary community and not some random forum, talks about piracy are not acceptable here.
Ryuu's_Ghost
21-08-08, 15:05
I dont do torrents was just pointing out one of the main problems that companies have to deal with. The other problem is they may sue the wrong people just to set a example.
seth ranson
21-08-08, 15:08
Edit button power!
You weren t the one she was talking about Ryuu.
Many people think when you buy the game its the game you bought and you can do what you want with it, but you cant. What you buy is the licence to use the game as the game remains property of who made it.
Same with films,music ect.
Sorry, I removed the offending posts.
But I can say this much, especially in the music industry, illegal downloading has been blown out of proportion, especially because you can listen to almost any song you want too for free anyway just by finding it on Youtube (Then responsibility lies with the uploader), or even on the bands website or Myspace page.
Bands place their songs online for marketing purposes anyway, and by doing so they risk someone saving it and then sharing it seperately from the site anyway.
My advice to record companies would be to put the music online to let people listen for free, and recover the fees from advertisers on the website, people who want to find the songs for free will anyway, at least that way they can recoup the profits.
As for gaming, all PC games should have to be registered either online or other the phone to ensure they are genuine copies, online games already do this to prevent illegal downloading of games, but non online games should do the same, its the only way I can think of to deal with the issue, it should all start with Prevention.
seth ranson
21-08-08, 15:23
The problem with that would be that people without internet connection couldn t play the game then.
On a sidenote: Wasn t it legal to download songs that you have on CD some time ago?
The problem with that would be that people without internet connection couldn t play the game then.
On a sidenote: Wasn t it legal to download songs that you have on CD some time ago?
Thats why I said the ability to activate the game by phone also, everyone has a phone line or mobile.
It would be hassle, but I dont see any other ways to reduce the issue, its a problem that is going to get bigger and bigger as more and more people start using the internet.
On a sidenote: I believe so.
On a sidenote: Wasn t it legal to download songs that you have on CD some time ago?
Nope :d
seth ranson
21-08-08, 15:44
I think things would be different if the laws about it were a little less confusing. At least for downloading music. They changed it rather often from what I heard.
An internet registration of games would by the way be cracked too I think. After all it s not that different from always having to put in the original CD/DVD or whatever. I don t know how the hell these people do this, but I guess there s no real way of stopping it. You have to legalize something like the big brother (not the tv show, and only for pc data; like Urya mentioned already) to stop it. And that is simply insane.
I think things would be different if the laws about it were a little less confusing. At least for downloading music. They changed it rather often from what I heard.
An internet registration of games would by the way be cracked too I think. After all it s not that different from always having to put in the original CD/DVD or whatever. I don t know how the hell these people do this, but I guess there s no real way of stopping it. You have to legalize something like the big brother (not the tv show, and only for pc data; like Urya mentioned already) to stop it. And that is simply insane.
Those games do not require registration, its just a simple program to check if there is a real disc in the drive, which can be tricked my other programs anyway. However registering games with a Keycode inside the case ensures that your game is an original copy.
seth ranson
21-08-08, 15:59
Really? Why isn t everybody just using keycodes then? That seems a little too easy to me.
Key codes are not a guarantee either, hell knows how many fake codes Ive seen - and how many times Ive seen people with pirated copies ringing Customer Service asking for a replacement key :dead:
Ryuu's_Ghost
21-08-08, 16:29
Bring back cassette games for piracy lulz.
On topic: sercurity features tend not to work that well.
On a sidenote: Wasn t it legal to download songs that you have on CD some time ago?
People make a lot of claims like that online, same with You can have a rom if you delete it within 24 hours or Downloading anime with fansubs is legal if its not licensed in your country yet. Theyre just trying to convince themselves and the consumers its okay, so they can just play the ignorant fool if they happen to get caught.
But anyway, I dont think theres any online games that work with illegal keys, seeing the server actually checks up on them. I never would have imagined theres people ballsy/stupid enough to call the Customer Service, though. How often do people actually get away with it? Seeing the one time I had to request a new key for Half-Life, they required all sorts of information printed in and on the box, not to mention they blocked the old one.
On a sidenote: Wasn t it legal to download songs that you have on CD some time ago?
People make a lot of claims like that online, same with You can have a rom if you delete it within 24 hours or Downloading anime with fansubs is legal if its not licensed in your country yet. Theyre just trying to convince themselves and the consumers its okay, so they can just play the ignorant fool if they happen to get caught.
But anyway, I dont think theres any online games that work with illegal keys, seeing the server actually checks up on them. I never would have imagined theres people ballsy/stupid enough to call the Customer Service, though. How often do people actually get away with it? Seeing the one time I had to request a new key for Half-Life, they required all sorts of information printed in and on the box, not to mention they blocked the old one.
Actually, it is legal to download anime if it is unlicensed in your country, the rom one is not true.
Ryuu's_Ghost
23-08-08, 00:08
Actually, it is legal to download anime if it is unlicensed in your country, the rom one is not.
You sure about that? no offence but that just sounds like justification for piracy.
Ryu Kazama
23-08-08, 00:26
The anime one is (I think...). The company doesnt loose anything from us if its not licensed for a domestic release. You should also notice by now that once it is licensed the big name groups drop it quickly or as soon as a warning letter arrives. No one does anything before this as it doesnt effect anyone. Saying that, in the end it still does effect them. Think about it, they may be negotiating whilst we download the fansubs. By the time it does come out weve seen it and dont care to watch it on TV or buy it on DVD. So in the end they do kind of lose a bit.
Nope, downloading material unlicensed in a particular country is still illegal.
Nope, downloading material unlicensed in a particular country is still illegal.
I contacted ADV Films about this a few years ago, the company that markets most Anime in the US and Europe, and they confirmed to me that downloading anime unlicensed in your native country is 100% legal, unlicensed means the rights to release or broadcast it have not been bought for your country, and downloading it is breaking no international copyright laws.