Is the download legal?

[jt_55]

Like many people, I bought TTO and can't play it anymore now that I have XP. I have been considering dowloading TTD from Owen's site, but I'm not sure if it's legal and whether it is ethical. Can someone shed some light on this?

Of course, I can always just stick to playing Locomotion.

[athanasios]

I suggest you try to search if an original is still sold and buy it.
There might be available second hand copies for sale, the condition of the CD might be questionable though.
Since your conscience bothers you I suggest you try to find and purchase one and if it is damaged download to get the affected files.

[spaceman-spiff]

I had a legal copy in my possesion in the 90's, then I lost it, downloaded it for free, I figured I could
Then I decided I wanted a legal copy, on ebay there are many to be found, many in England for a decent price
It's always better to have a legal copy

[Dave]

I have a legal copy which I will send to you. Its a bit messed up, mind. Scratched etc. Name yer price

[lobster]

my ex-girlfriend had an original TTD copy, i forgot to take it when we broke up. darn.

i only have TTO original.

[orudge]

You can find TTD to buy in some places still, if you look carefully. See here for a list of some places to try. However, due to the rarity of the game, many people will resort to downloading it. While it isn't legal, it's in many way the only option for getting hold of the games. Some users may choose to then buy an RCT game or Locomotion to at least provide some sort of "compensation" to Chris Sawyer, but that's up to you.

[jt_55]

Thanks for the info, guys.

Sorry, Dave. I'm looking for a new one or at least very close. Mind you, I never bought anything through the internet. I'll search for one, and if all else fails, I'll boot up my old 95 amd play TTO.

[Pookey]

Seeing as Atari ( i think they're the ones) won't admit that they have the copyright papers, nobody at the moment, is going to track you down and prosecute you.

[BobDendry]

Seeing as Atari ( i think they're the ones) won't admit that they have the copyright papers, nobody at the moment, is going to track you down and prosecute you.

Do you have any clue what you're on about?

[Dave]

While factually inaccurate, he has a point. I don't see who is going to chase you down, and as far as I can tell, if there's a legal dispute occurring over it, the copyright remains with the person that owned it in the first place until the courts say otherwise.

[jt_55]

Which means that no one has the copyright then? Because the company who owned it doesn't exist no more.

[orudge]

The game shows the copyright as belonging to Chris Sawyer, which we have always known. The marketing rights, however, were originally licenced to MicroProse... whether these now lie with Atari (seems most likely) or someone else (Firaxis?) is not known.

[Dave]

And since Owen hasn't received any legal documents regarding his ass being sued away... I guess it means that whoever DOES own it doesn't really care.

[SkeedR]

Legal? No. Ethical to download? If you really want it, Yes.

[Comeng 523M]

I consider it Abandonware.

[Bad Hair Day]

I bought the game donkeys years ago, so I'd say my download is atleast legal. Disc is still in mint condition. For some reason, I also have TTO on PSX. Not yet figured why.

[/spam post]

Hell, if you've bought it or not, it hardly matters now. No one's really going to do anything to you if you do download it.

[newbie1kenuubie]

I dont think its legal. But I think the TTD game is so called "abandonware"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abandonware

Old copyrights are sometimes left undefended. This can be due to intentional non-enforcement by owners due to software age or obsolescence, but sometimes results from a corporate copyright holder going out of business without explicitly transferring ownership, leaving no one aware of the right to defend the copyright.

Even if the copyright is not defended, copying of such software is still unlawful in most jurisdictions when a copyright is still in effect. Abandonware changes hands on the assumption that the resources required to enforce copyrights outweigh benefits a copyright holder might realize from selling software licenses. Additionally, abandonware proponents argue that distributing software for which no one remains to defend the copyright is acceptable. Companies that have gone out of business without transferring copyrights are an example; many hardware and software companies that developed older systems are long since out of business and precise documentation of the copyrights may not be readily available.

I dont think you will be arrested. But perhaps your consciense will arrest you. I dont think you should feel any guilt for downloading the game when you have payed money for it Just download it and enjoy it like you did when you bought it!:)

[Circeus]

Currently, TTD and abandonware is best compared to books that went out of prints decades ago and other paper rarities (cf. memorial town or association books): Someone obviously DOES own copyrights, but it is commercially impractical to provide new copies (e.g. because the publication is of limited or no commercial interest) and getting your paws on a copy is incredibly difficult. As such, while legally reprehensible, I'm very much in the camp that it's not morally contemptible to copy the work because it's the only possible way to have it at hand.

[newbie1kenuubie]

what does "reprehensible" and "contemptible" mean? I'm norwegian.

[DaleStan]

What google:define:reprehensible and google:define:contemptible say they mean, I suspect.

Or, if you prefer, see if you can manage to guess what exists at www.dictionary.com