Taleworlds Forum policy on abandonware?

[tarquineos]

OK, the forum's rules are pretty clear to me:

No piracy, talk of piracy, talk of warez, or anything of the sort. No linking to sites with this kind of content
The following actions are prohibited on the forums:  1) Any facilitation of infringement of copyright, or of obtaining materials that do infringe copyright, be it through explicit or implicit written suggestion or through supplying such materials directly.  2)  Any linking to websites that facilitate copyright infringement or supply materials that do infringe copyright.  3) Any promotion or endorsement of copyright infringement, or of obtaining or using materials that do infringe copyright.

But since the issue comes up every now and then (like in the Wolfquest thread), I would like to know if Taleworlds forum has an official position about this. Are members allowed to post links to known abandoware (i.e., software that is no longer being sold for sure)? A literal interpretation of the rules suggest that we are not, and I've avoided posting such links a few times.

And hey, please note that I do not wish to start a whole discussion of whether abandonware should be allowed or not. Most people think it should; but law says it is illegal. Period. This is intended to be just an Yes or No question to the Administrators. 

 

[Merentha]

Best way to make sure would be to PM an admin asking whether a specific link is legit.  A link to Freespace2 would be fine, while a link to download TIE Fighter might not be.

 

[Janus]

Abandonware is a bit of a murky subject.
Here's my definition (and I think the generally accepted definition) of what I consider as abandonware: a commercial game old enough that the copyright holder is no longer interested in defending their copyright and by extension are no longer trying to sell the game.

I personally have no problems with links to abandonware. However, some abandonware sites host games which wouldn't meet the above classification, such as games only 2-3 years old and still being sold in places.
Offhand, Abandonia and Home of the Underdogs are both "legit" abandonware sites.

Still, if you want a truly official answer it might do to get Armagan's response on the issue as it's ultimately up to him. I'll ask him about it.

 

[phbbbt107]

Well, according to Archonsod, HotU is Ok, Abandonia is not.

Abandonia tends to host games which are not abandonware, merely old, hence I removed them from the list (I wouldn't care, but they have games which are blatantly still being sold in stores on their site). 

The Underdogs do have abandonware, but they tend to be far more reliable with checking the status of the software before hosting the file. If the game is still being sold, they'll usually link to a place you can buy it from. I've only ever seen two games which weren't technically abandonware on their site, one of which they had permission to distribute from the licence owner, and the other one they removed as soon as they were informed it was no longer abandonware. Unless someone can find me an illegal download on the Underdogs site I'll let it stay.

 

[tarquineos]

Well, according to Archonsod, HotU is Ok, Abandonia is not.

That's funny; I always thought that HoTU would host old but non-abandonware games whereas Abandonia would not. Then, again, I guess I never liked HoTU because it look so much like an underground site, with all those dammed pop-ups and stuff. 

Still, if you want a truly official answer it might do to get Armagan's response on the issue as it's ultimately up to him. I'll ask him about it.

Thanks for that, Janus.

Anyway, it seems like this not an yes/no question after all. I guess the best thing to do before posting a link is to search for the game to check if it is real abandonware.

 

[CrazyEyes]

Home of the Underdogs is probably the only really reliable one I've found so far. All the others I've seen have some form of (ARRRR!)ed, not abandoned, game.

 

[Haupper]

Offhand, Abandonia and Home of the Underdogs are both "legit" abandonware sites.

Whether it is policy or not, publicity just have been made!