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[PolarBearWY]

QUOTE (chefelf @ Jun 16 2004, 05:38 PM)

Makes perfect sense. The whole backup thing is worth debating but it's so dependent on how you interpret the laws that there can't ever really be any decent outcome.   Kinda like debating anything I guess.

Regardless of whether or not it is legal...
Regardless of whether or not I would want to pirate anything...

I would NEVER put myself in a position to be in a company's customer database that does shady business.  If the FBI or US Customs did walk in there they would seize everything, including their computers, including my name, number, purchase information, etc.  Then all the FBI would have to do is knock on my door and check out whether I have intellectual right to the software I purchased.

[chefelf]

QUOTE (realjones @ Jun 16 2004, 03:09 PM)

I think the FBI has better things to do then come knocking at your door because you have backups.  Unless you are distributing backups to other people, I wouldn't worry about it.

Maybe not the FBI, per se, but it could get you in trouble.  Look at all the people sued by the RIAA (though that has pretty much died down and was incredibly stupid) and they were sold out by a legitimate business: their ISP.

Also DirectTV cracked down a while back and raided some companies selling card writers.  They got ahold of their databases and issued demands to all the customers that they pay DirectTV a lump sum or else they would be sued.  This, like the RIAA thing, was of questionable legality but it still happened.  Dummies still had to fork over money to the companies.

So, in short, I agree with PolarBearWY.  I certainly woulnd't want my name in their database.   Also, on a related note, I don't really want to do business with a company doing something this sketchy.

[Xeero]

And the RIAA had better things do to than bust people who downloaded a few songs, but they managed to pencil it into their schedule.  It really depends what the latest criticism is, and in my opinion it's not worth taking the risk.  Imagine if Bin Laden released a tape yesterday that thanked his compatriates in the United States for trafficking Xbox backups and funding his fundamentalist strikes?  It may be far-fetched, but that would surely incite a witch-hunt.

[quarryman]

all good replies.

sorry for putting it in the wrong forum, there's so many.

anyway, let's be honest though. these "suppliers" are simply selling copied games at low prices knowing well most of their customers probably don't have the original copy.

i emailed one of companies to ask about the game The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay. This game hasn't even been released over here so i couldn't figure out how i was supposed to have the original copy. I asked how the games could be sold without proof of posessing the original to which the reply was "let's just assume you own the game"

fine by me.

[NoMention]

If you really want to get into nit-picking about this topic from a legal standpoint.  It is 100% ILLEGAL.  According to copywrite laws, consumers are allowed to have in their possession 1 backup of the media that they made.  Since this site was selling backups, I can pretty much assure you that they did not ask the buyer to send in their disc so it could be backed up.  This means that the site is using one disc as a MASTER and  The backup must be made from the original copy that the buyer has in his/her possession.  Only then is a backup legitimate.  Every other occassion is 100% illegal according to US laws.  International laws might be different.

NoMention

[Hoppy]

These sites stay up for awhile, but not forever.  Eventually they get shut down.  Doesn't really matter because others come up in their place.

[Lil Joey]

No, this is totally illegal depending on your country of residence. In America, U.K,Japan,Australia to name a few you would be screwed if you were caught doing this. I know that some countries in Europe are a bit more lax on this topic. But i should draw attention to the case of a man who was caught doing a similar thing in Pittsburgh, U.S.A. He recieved a 3 year sentence, and at the moment there is 2 people in Australia awaiting sentencing for similar offences and the prosecutors in that case are pushing for half a million dollars in fines and 2 years imprisionment. Gives you something to think about doesn't it?