Kind of off topic, but one thing I've noticed has become very common in recent years is for a game emulation focused hardware vendor to include an SD card completely full of ROMs, and sell it on mainstream sources like Amazon. That's illegal and I think it's uncool.
Okay, Mr. Nintendo. I think it’s illegal and very cool.
Care to elaborate why you think artificially high prices on outdated console games (your SD full of ROMs) in any way helps a software developer - in either venture capital (we are on HN) or their take-home paycheck. Because as far as I can tell, the only people it helps is rent-seekers on ancient IP. You know, the kinda people we wanna “disrupt”?
Speak for yourself. I don't want to disrupt anyone by explicitly not following laws i don't like.
If you were to complain about the anti circumvention clause in DMCA, or Nintendo going after the guy who sold mods under that (somebody got jail time), then I think that stuff is not justified. But i wouldn't personally sell software i have no right to distribute on Amazon.
Copyright-infringing, for sure. But I am skeptical that anyone is losing money on the those old MAME Roms. I have an Anbernic (bought on Amazon), and though there are a handful of pirated games it came with that I like, I was at least as excited to see that flashing AmberELEC on it supports Pico-8 (which they didn't pirate and include, I bought it and installed it, along with a bunch of carts).
Shouldn't it matter if the item you want is purchasable from a legit enterprise? If they ONLY way to get the game is through paying a pirate because the rights holder doesnt think distributing it profitable enough, do you still find that unethical?
