Is it stealing to pirate a game you own physicaly but cant install

[Wintermoot]

nope! you already bought it legally so it counts as a backup (same counts if your game is destroyed/broken/stolen etc. all around unusable)
it only becomes illegal if you where to download it without a legitimate copy
PS
it would be bullcrap if you couldn't since you already bought the rights for private use

 

[AmbitiousWorm]

Downloading it is illegal. You are stealing it. The copy you get off the internet is not the copy you paid for.

I don't know how many times I can reiterate this.

Software is not the same as other things you can purchase. It's all just data. Whether you copy the data yourself or get a copy from somewhere else, you still have the game data. There is no "copy" that you're getting from somewhere, and you aren't paying for a "copy". You're paying the company for the right to access their data. If you paid for that right and you're accessing the data, it's all good.

Sure its just a bunch of data. But it is illegal to share all that data because otherwise no one would make money off it. What you are saying is that once you get access to their data you can do what every you want with it? Why can't I upload it to everyone for free then?

 

[SbE]

According to morality, it's not stealing.

According to the law, It would depend on where you live, but I wouldn't get my hopes up since most countries seem to have completely batshit insane copyright laws these days.

According to the copyright holders and their lawyers, it's illegal and for even considering it, you should be thrown in jail for many years as well as being financially ruined for the rest of your life for even daring to think about committing such abhorrent crimes against humanity.

 

[Timmibal]

If you are going to get copies off the internet just be aware that the company that made it would, most likely, consider what you are doing illegal.

What they consider illegal is not always the case. If it were, then every threatening e-mail you are forwarded by yout ISP after accessing a compromised tracker would be accompanied by a summons.

Starcraft II was supposedly the most pirated game of 2010.
You can 'Purchase' SCII, like my GOG example, by license only from battle.net, without ever actually receiving a physical 'copy' of it.
Nowhere in the EULA for Starcraft II does it say that my digital download must be obtained from blizzard/activision servers. In fact, considering that their download client is torrent based, even the 'official' downloader cannot be said to be operating purely from the official host. How accurate then can their statistics of people 'illegally' obtaining their game be said to be?

Likewise, most gamers familiar with SecuRom DRM will be familiar with being forced to crack their LEGALLY PURCHASED software in order to make it work properly. If the software is indeed licensed, not owned, as most eulas so smugly state, how is it then "Illegal" to seek to obtain a working copy of software I have obtained a legal license to operate?

 

[AmbitiousWorm]

But only legally own a single copy and, maybe, the rights to make copies for personal use. You don't own the rights to get copies of it through illegal methods.

What illegal methods ? Newsgroups are not illegal. Neither are torrents.

Sorry not illegal methods. Illegal copies. Torrents are not illegal, the copies of games and such being shared through them are illegal copies.

 

[Nibblitman]

By the letter of the law it is against the law, but on the other hand by anyones measure of the intent and idea behind it it is fine to do that. I'd say go for it as you own it and so it is unlikely anyone will hold anything against you unless they were made of computer.

 

[Twilight_guy]

Yes it's illegal but no you shouldn't care because unless the guys who make the games are being really strict they'd probably go with you on that one.

 

[Rabid Toilet]

Downloading it is illegal. You are stealing it. The copy you get off the internet is not the copy you paid for.

I don't know how many times I can reiterate this.

Software is not the same as other things you can purchase. It's all just data. Whether you copy the data yourself or get a copy from somewhere else, you still have the game data. There is no "copy" that you're getting from somewhere, and you aren't paying for a "copy". You're paying the company for the right to access their data. If you paid for that right and you're accessing the data, it's all good.

Sure its just a bunch of data. But it is illegal to share all that data because otherwise no one would make money off it. What you are saying is that once you get access to their data you can do what every you want with it? Why can't I upload it to everyone for free then?

Because you bought the right for you to access their data. You didn't buy the right to own the data itself, which would give you the right to do what you want with it. You only have the right to play it, that the company has given you.

 

[Phyroxis]

But only legally own a single copy and, maybe, the rights to make copies for personal use. You don't own the rights to get copies of it through illegal methods.

What illegal methods ? Newsgroups are not illegal. Neither are torrents.

Sorry not illegal methods. Illegal copies. Torrents are not illegal, the copies of games and such being shared through them are illegal copies.

The copies of the games aren't necessarily illegal, this is a grey legal area. The falsely obtained and unauthorized licenses, however, are illegal. And those usually come with copies of games in torrents.

 

[Vykrel]

i think tis fair enough to pirate a game on a different platform if you already own it on another.

nobody wants to spend like 120 bucks for one game

 

[AmbitiousWorm]

If you are going to get copies off the internet just be aware that the company that made it would, most likely, consider what you are doing illegal.

What they consider illegal is not always the case. If it were, then every threatening e-mail you are forwarded by yout ISP after accessing a compromised tracker would be accompanied by a summons.

Starcraft II was supposedly the most pirated game of 2010.
You can 'Purchase' SCII, like my GOG example, by license only from battle.net, without ever actually receiving a physical 'copy' of it.
Nowhere in the EULA for Starcraft II does it say that my digital download must be obtained from blizzard/activision servers. In fact, considering that their download client is torrent based, even the 'official' downloader cannot be said to be operating purely from the official host. How accurate then can their statistics of people 'illegally' obtaining their game be said to be?

Likewise, most gamers familiar with SecuRom DRM will be familiar with being forced to crack their LEGALLY PURCHASED software in order to make it work properly. If the software is indeed licensed, not owned, as most eulas so smugly state, how is it then "Illegal" to seek to obtain a working copy of software I have obtained a legal license to operate?

but you are paying for one of what ever it is. If every time someone downloaded a free copy of a game/movie/whatever the company that made it got money it would not be illegal. They want to own and control the rights to their productions so they can make money off them. they don't care that you broke/lost it, they want you to buy another. By downloading it you didn't pay for the second one. That's all there is to it.

 

[AmbitiousWorm]

i think tis fair enough to pirate a game on a different platform if you already own it on another.

nobody wants to spend like 120 bucks for one game

the company that made it wants you to.

 

[Razzie.Putin]

I bought a truck and it broke down so I stole another one from the dealer.

Wow! Small world! I also bought a truck and it broke down. Dagblasted keyhole apparatus fell off *sighs*

It's ok though. I hotwired it so I could once again use that truck that... um, you know... I BOUGHT

 

[Tony2077]

its rather stupid not to get to play a game you payed for.

 

[TiefBlau]

Legally speaking, I'm pretty sure you're allowed to make backups of games you already own.

 

[e2density]

It's not illegal. I believe it has the same laws that emulation has, you are allowed to emulate any game you want as long as you own the hard copies, or even your OWN legal CD key.

 

[AmbitiousWorm]

its rather stupid not to get to play a game you payed for.

Really? It is? I didn't know that. Thanks, that explains everything.

 

[Phyroxis]

If you are going to get copies off the internet just be aware that the company that made it would, most likely, consider what you are doing illegal.

What they consider illegal is not always the case. If it were, then every threatening e-mail you are forwarded by yout ISP after accessing a compromised tracker would be accompanied by a summons.

Starcraft II was supposedly the most pirated game of 2010.
You can 'Purchase' SCII, like my GOG example, by license only from battle.net, without ever actually receiving a physical 'copy' of it.
Nowhere in the EULA for Starcraft II does it say that my digital download must be obtained from blizzard/activision servers. In fact, considering that their download client is torrent based, even the 'official' downloader cannot be said to be operating purely from the official host. How accurate then can their statistics of people 'illegally' obtaining their game be said to be?

Likewise, most gamers familiar with SecuRom DRM will be familiar with being forced to crack their LEGALLY PURCHASED software in order to make it work properly. If the software is indeed licensed, not owned, as most eulas so smugly state, how is it then "Illegal" to seek to obtain a working copy of software I have obtained a legal license to operate?

but you are paying for one of what ever it is. If every time someone downloaded a free copy of a game/movie/whatever the company that made it got money it would not be illegal. They want to own and control the rights to their productions so they can make money off them. they don't care that you broke/lost it, they want you to buy another. By downloading it you didn't pay for the second one. That's all there is to it.

And none of what you just said pertains to law. Thats all corporate interest and desire there. Whether or not the act of downloading software sans crack and unlocking said software with a legally obtained license is what is being discussed right now and essentially it comes down to a grey area.

Your conceptions of what a corporation would want or desire are irrelevant.

 

[AmbitiousWorm]

I bought a truck and it broke down so I stole another one from the dealer.

Wow! Small world! I also bought a truck and it broke down. Dagblasted keyhole apparatus fell off *sighs*

It's ok though. I hotwired it so I could once again use that truck that... um, you know... I BOUGHT

But you didn't hotwire someone else truck did you?