Is this piracy to you?

[CommieCowboy]

I have copies of Fallout and Fallout 2 back in my hometown but I know live elsewhere for school and wanted to them on my laptop. Thus, I downloaded them.

[Ugly Joe]

If it violates either game's EULA, it's piracy.

[JadussD]

No, THIS is piracy:

[The 9th Sage]

I guess it is technically, but I wouldn't feel bad doing this either if I had the actual game.

[retroguiden]

Where I live it's common to make backups and share with family and close friends. To me it doesn't matter who makes the back-up. It should really be illegal to make EULA's that state that one DVD-rom is all I get and I can't take any steps to insure that I won't lose what's on it.

[Ugly Joe]

Originally Posted by retroguiden

It should really be illegal to make EULA's that state that one DVD-rom is all I get and I can't take any steps to insure that I won't lose what's on it.

That doesn't make any sense. You enter into a EULA voluntarily (hence the "I Agree" button/checkbox). If you disagree with it, don't buy or use the product.

[retroguiden]

Originally Posted by Ugly Joe

That doesn't make any sense. You enter into a EULA voluntarily (hence the "I Agree" button/checkbox). If you disagree with it, don't buy or use the product.

The companies making the products are in many cases in a position of power. The customer is in the weaker position and needs protection from the one with the power. It really isn't that much voluntarily when the choice is play by my (outrageous) rules or don't play at all.

Now, what does not make any sense is telling me I can buy Game X in a box on a DVD-ROM for quite alot of money, but I can't take any steps to protect that investment. That's plain insane!

[Ugly Joe]

Originally Posted by retroguiden

The companies making the products are in many cases in a position of power. The customer is in the weaker position and needs protection from the one with the power. It really isn't that much voluntarily when the choice is play by my (outrageous) rules or don't play at all.

But that isn't the case at all with something as frivolous as PC games.

Originally Posted by retroguiden

Now, what does not make any sense is telling me I can buy Game X in a box on a DVD-ROM for quite alot of money, but I can't take any steps to protect that investment. That's plain insane!

I'm assuming you mean you can't make backups. Is it so hard not to scratch, break, or lose a DVD? Are you going to spend quite a lot of money for it and then not take care of it?

[Cornellius]

Originally Posted by Ugly Joe

Is it so hard not to scratch, break, or lose a DVD? Are you going to spend quite a lot of money for it and then not take care of it?

I was going to say the exact same thing. Is it so hard to handle correctly a disc ? My PSX discs are still in mint condition. Except for my main HD, because I have important work data on it, I've never felt the need to make a backup.

[hcs]

Originally Posted by Ugly Joe

That doesn't make any sense. You enter into a EULA voluntarily (hence the "I Agree" button/checkbox). If you disagree with it, don't buy or use the product.

What if I take a half a minute to edit that dialog box so that the checkbox is checked by default (and maybe even hidden)? What if I switched the behavior of the I Agree and I Vehemently Disagree Screw You buttons? What if I set up my drinking bird, or form automater, to press "Y" for me? What if my font is configured such that the text in the EULA box is invisible, or my language is configured such that I can't read a word of it?
What if, more realistically, I just click the button that looks most like "OK" to get on with it?
I put to you that the fact that the software has registered my acceptance does not constitute signing a contract, that it is a step in installing software as arbitrary and non-legally-binding as having to enter A:\I_SELL_MY_SOUL_TO_BRODERBUND_OH_AND_SETUP.EXE