Reading the instructions, no, it’s not. It was given away for free by Eidos and no longer is. Unless they granted distribution rights to someone back in the day then whoever is distributing the files is doing so illegally.
I don’t really care, I just find it funny that it’s touted as legally when that’s absolutely not how copyright law works at all.
So what you’re saying is that nobody is allowed to distribute for free what the original copyright holders refuse to sell or allow other people to sell?
That’s unfortunately how that works. That’s why there is a lot of abandonware. Software or games where the original copyright holder no longer exists or doesn’t care. Copyright doesn’t magically disappear.
Correct. The copyright owner controls the rights related to copying.
Unless the copyright holder specifically grants free distribution rights (e.g. releasing as a public domain work such as with a CC0 licence) then they can decide to do what they want. That includes choosing not to distribute the work in any way.
So no, Championship Manager 01/02 is not available legally for free. It’s no more legal than downloading ROMs. No one will stop you but that’s not the same as legal.
I’m not defending this approach. I think IP law is a fucking shambles and needs massive reform for a number of reasons. The duration is ludicrous and it’s horrendously restrictive in a way that chokes the life out of human culture. I see someone downvoted me, which is pretty funny in and of itself. Sorry for pointing out how IP law works…?
You are not logged in. However you can subscribe from another Fediverse account, for example Lemmy or Mastodon. To do this, paste the following into the search field of your instance: [email protected]
Welcome to the largest gaming community on Lemmy! Discussion for all kinds of games. Video games, tabletop games, card games etc.
Rules
1. Submissions have to be related to games
Video games, tabletop, or otherwise. Posts not related to games will be deleted.
This community is focused on games, of all kinds. Any news item or discussion should be related to gaming in some way.
2. No bigotry or harassment, be civil
No bigotry, hardline stance. Try not to get too heated when entering into a discussion or debate.
We are here to talk and discuss about one of our passions, not fight or be exposed to hate. Posts or responses that are hateful will be deleted to keep the atmosphere good. If repeatedly violated, not only will the comment be deleted but a ban will be handed out as well. We judge each case individually.
3. No excessive self-promotion
Try to keep it to 10% self-promotion / 90% other stuff in your post history.
This is to prevent people from posting for the sole purpose of promoting their own website or social media account.
4. Stay on-topic; no memes, funny videos, giveaways, reposts, or low-effort posts
This community is mostly for discussion and news. Remember to search for the thing you’re submitting before posting to see if it’s already been posted.
We want to keep the quality of posts high. Therefore, memes, funny videos, low-effort posts and reposts are not allowed. We prohibit giveaways because we cannot be sure that the person holding the giveaway will actually do what they promise.
5. Mark Spoilers and NSFW
Make sure to mark your stuff or it may be removed.
No one wants to be spoiled. Therefore, always mark spoilers. Similarly mark NSFW, in case anyone is browsing in a public space or at work.
6. No linking to piracy
Don’t share it here, there are other places to find it. Discussion of piracy is fine.
We don’t want us moderators or the admins of lemmy.world to get in trouble for linking to piracy. Therefore, any link to piracy will be removed. Discussion of it is of course allowed.
Reading the instructions, no, it’s not. It was given away for free by Eidos and no longer is. Unless they granted distribution rights to someone back in the day then whoever is distributing the files is doing so illegally.
I don’t really care, I just find it funny that it’s touted as legally when that’s absolutely not how copyright law works at all.
So what you’re saying is that nobody is allowed to distribute for free what the original copyright holders refuse to sell or allow other people to sell?
Makes perfect sense 🙄
That’s unfortunately how that works. That’s why there is a lot of abandonware. Software or games where the original copyright holder no longer exists or doesn’t care. Copyright doesn’t magically disappear.
It’s a tragedy, but that’s how the law works.
Correct. The copyright owner controls the rights related to copying.
Unless the copyright holder specifically grants free distribution rights (e.g. releasing as a public domain work such as with a CC0 licence) then they can decide to do what they want. That includes choosing not to distribute the work in any way.
So no, Championship Manager 01/02 is not available legally for free. It’s no more legal than downloading ROMs. No one will stop you but that’s not the same as legal.
I’m not defending this approach. I think IP law is a fucking shambles and needs massive reform for a number of reasons. The duration is ludicrous and it’s horrendously restrictive in a way that chokes the life out of human culture. I see someone downvoted me, which is pretty funny in and of itself. Sorry for pointing out how IP law works…?