Is it alright to make backup copies of a game?

Vinman

Vice Admiral
I've got a whole lot of old games on CD, like Kilrathi Saga, Earthsiege and Mantis, and I'm nervous that they will get lost or damaged. When games came out on floppies, we'd all make backup copies in case someone put them in a box full of magnets or something, and I was wondering if it was alright to do the same thing with CDs. Was it alright back in the days of floppies?
 
Of course it's all right so long as you only use the copies personally. You paid for the software, no?
 
Depends. AFAIK, you are allowed to make backups. But you are not allowed to crack the copyprotection for a CD. One could say that the copyprotction is not only a practical barrier, but also a legal one.
 
Backup Copies generally regarded as Fair Use, and they're also recognized in international copyright law.
 
A friend was telling me that the producers newer games are supposedly making thier own "no cd" patches due to people " burning out thier cd/dvd drives". I like the thought of just backing up my originals.
 
Depends. AFAIK, you are allowed to make backups. But you are not allowed to crack the copyprotection for a CD. One could say that the copyprotction is not only a practical barrier, but also a legal one.

Are you sure about that? I would think that finding a no-CD patch for a game you already bought would fall within fair use (I know that the EULA prohibits changing the game code, but you usually aren't the guy modifying the code, that's what the creator of the no-CD is doing -- all that you're doing for most no-CDs out there is replacing one file for another.) . In any case, I hate having to dig for CDs whenever I get an urge to play a particular game -- I have far too many CDs and games for that to be effective -- So I usually hunt down a no-cd patch asap (I also make a backup of the original .exe, so I can still patch the game later).

Thats one of the reason I love Stardock and totalgaming.net, they don't make me go through the trouble of digging for CDs or no-CDs for any of my games.
 
(I know that the EULA prohibits changing the game code, but you usually aren't the guy modifying the code, that's what the creator of the no-CD is doing -- all that you're doing for most no-CDs out there is replacing one file for another.)

Yeah, I'm sure that degree of technical nitpicking would go over real well in court if they decided to make a lawsuit about the issue...

That said, for all practical purposes, though, what's strictly legal and what's not punished are not necessarily the same thing. Unless you're trying to do something like a warez site or otherwise publicly make the modified works available to others, it's exceedingly unlikely the company will go after you.
 
The last game i myself purchases wat battlefield's 2 expansions packs.

Not all games accept virtual drives, and a cd-r is only a few cents.

I cop my games, and play the copies, to leave the originals in the box, from audio cd's I capture mp3's for playback.

I purchased "guns n' roses - appetite for destruction" five times, and numerous other albums since then, I own the original and, work of a copy, leaving the original in the box. By my knowledge, that's what a backup is meant for.
 
Well, you know how it is. Each time he bought Appetite for Destruction, he got an appetite for destruction :).
 
Back
Top