Posted: 2 days ago
(Edited: 2 days ago)
MUGG
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Basicly, I have felt unsure and uneasy about linking to games on Archive.org. In this post, I refrained from doing it because the mentioned collection CD-ROM may still be a commercial product despite the sharewares and demos on it being free. There are games that are apparently free but are not stated to be anywhere in its game files. And then there are downloads on Archive.org to things that I would consider clear cases of copyright infringement. Is it ok to link to Archive.org without a question, or should I PM a moderator first, or is this the case only for DOS games? Or only if the game is stated to be shareware? Depending on the answer, I will be editing my previous posts, in case any linkings in my previous posts and submissions have been against the rules.
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Posted: 2 days ago
Bigbass
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MUGG wrote:
Is it ok to link to Archive.org without a question, or should I PM a moderator first, or is this the case only for DOS games? Or only if the game is stated to be shareware?
We actively remove all links and mentions to places where people can download copyright-protected materials. Archive.org is a little more complicated. Obviously we provide direct download links to archived encodes for all publications as an example, but we generally refrain from linking full pages of archive.org proper (where people could then navigate to said materials). And of course, we also mention the existence of the Internet Archive. For all other sites though, we promptly remove their mention when noticed. Uncracked shareware is typically okay but we're very cautious about it. Demos should be fine. However, if the site containing such shareware/demos also includes illegal copies of other content, then we won't allow it (even if a direct link is used.) Doesn't matter whether its a DOS game or not. If you're unsure if a site is acceptable, then yes I'd suggest privately contacting a moderator either here or via DMs/ModMail on Discord.
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Posted: 2 days ago
(Edited: 2 days ago)
MUGG
Editor, Expert player (2419)
🇩🇪 Germany
Joined: 5/15/2007
Posts: 4065
Location: 🇩🇪 Germany
Gameboy TASer of 2015 NES TAS of 2013 Gameboy TASer of 2011 Gameboy TASer of 2010
@Bigbass Ok, I'd like to be clear, so in summary:
but we generally refrain from linking full pages of archive.org proper
So games on Archive.org should not be linked to? By "we", do you mean the site administration or do you mean all users?
However, if the site containing such shareware/demos also includes illegal copies of other content, then we won't allow it
What does this mean in the case of Archive.org?
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Posted: 2 days ago
Bigbass
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MUGG wrote:
but we generally refrain from linking full pages of archive.org proper
So games on Archive.org should not be linked to? By "we", do you mean the site administration or do you mean all users?
Like I said, it depends on the content. Absolutely do not link to copyright-protected materials. "We" as in, the site staff as applicable.
MUGG wrote:
However, if the site containing such shareware/demos also includes illegal copies of other content, then we won't allow it
What does this mean in the case of Archive.org?
We refrain from linking full pages of archive.org where possible, but historically there are cases where it has been allowed. From what I've seen, besides for archived encodes, usually it's been for linking to documentation or to freeware. If the linked page is associated with material that's illegal to redistribute however, that wouldn't be acceptable. If there's some specific instance you're not sure about, please feel free to contact either the mods or admins.
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Posted: 2 days ago
(Edited: 2 days ago)
MUGG
Editor, Expert player (2419)
🇩🇪 Germany
Joined: 5/15/2007
Posts: 4065
Location: 🇩🇪 Germany
Gameboy TASer of 2015 NES TAS of 2013 Gameboy TASer of 2011 Gameboy TASer of 2010
Thank you. Well, even shareware is "copyright-protected". I have gone and removed links in my previous posts just to be sure.
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