Poll: Is it still pirating if you own a cop of the game-on another system?

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Andy Shandy

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Jun 7, 2010
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From a purely technical standpoint, yes, it is piracy, but I doubt many people would complain considering he has purchased a copy beforehand, especially if it's new so that the money goes to the developers
 

Jared Brokaw

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Mar 14, 2011
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ChildofGallifrey said:
Actually, I'm pretty sure if you own a copy of a game then you're allowed to have a 'backup' of it. If you (or, in this case, your friend) physically own a copy that you paid for, then it's ok to have a backup of it. Not sure whether we start getting into murky territory if the backup copy becomes the primarily used one though, but it might be all the same since you still paid for the game ($10 extra if you play the PC version primarily). I'm not sure if things have changed with the advent of downloadable games being so prevalent though. I think that's just how it was before the internet became widespread on consoles.

Note: I am not a lawyer. This is what I was told by a close friend and fellow gamer who is halfway through law school, so take it with a grain of salt.
You are aloud to have a back up copy but on a diffrent system im not so sure?
 

sacredguyver

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Apr 24, 2010
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Ephraim J. Witchwood said:
ChildofGallifrey said:
Actually, I'm pretty sure if you own a copy of a game then you're allowed to have a 'backup' of it. If you (or, in this case, your friend) physically own a copy that you paid for, then it's ok to have a backup of it.
You have to create the backup yourself, otherwise, it's still piracy.
It's been a long while since I've heard anything on the matter, but I remember reading a few years ago (might be several years) that while you can legally create a back-up of your media (games, music, movies, what-have-you), bypassing the copy protection so you can is completely illegal no matter what. It's a "screwed if you do, screwed if you don't" situation. :|
 

SoranMBane

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May 24, 2009
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Yes. If he bought the game and it doesn't specifically provide free copies for other systems, but he still wants a copy for another system, then he should be willing to pay for it. Whether he already has the game or not, it's still theft (or "copyright infringement," if you want to argue semantics), which is always wrong no matter how you scratch it.
 

GBlair88

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Jan 10, 2009
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Tell your friend to get Steam, as New Vegas will be included in a sale at some stage so he can buy it cheaper. OR tell him to trade in the 360 copy for a PC copy if he can't wait. He might have to put some money to it but at least he'll be in the clear legally.
 

Pandaman1911

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Jan 3, 2011
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It's piracy to illegally download anything anywhere. End of story, there you go! Next question?
 

Dogstile

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Jan 17, 2009
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Ephraim J. Witchwood said:
sacredguyver said:
Ephraim J. Witchwood said:
ChildofGallifrey said:
Actually, I'm pretty sure if you own a copy of a game then you're allowed to have a 'backup' of it. If you (or, in this case, your friend) physically own a copy that you paid for, then it's ok to have a backup of it.
You have to create the backup yourself, otherwise, it's still piracy.
It's been a long while since I've heard anything on the matter, but I remember reading a few years ago (might be several years) that while you can legally create a back-up of your media (games, music, movies, what-have-you), bypassing the copy protection so you can is completely illegal no matter what. It's a "screwed if you do, screwed if you don't" situation. :|
Last I checked, you can so long as it's only for your own use and you don't distribute the method.
Aye, that's if you plan on distributing it. However, if you want a backup without copy protection and you download it, it is still legal for you. The guy who uploaded it is committing a crime, you wouldn't be. That confuses the hell outta a lot of people i'd imagine.

However, OP:

Yeah, it'd be illegal in this scenario as the license for the software allows him to use it on the xbox, not the PC.

Edit: Damn, this is the first time when i've actually agreed with an example of piracy on here and voted yes. Usually i'm voting that things aren't piracy due to people owning a copy, etc.
 

PhiMed

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Nov 26, 2008
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Yes, it is. He can't use the "I already own a copy argument. He's pirating to play the DLC. How's he gonna do that unless he pirates the DLC, too? If he just pirates the base game a legitimately purchased DLC won't run.
 

NLS

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Jan 7, 2010
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This is why we need SteamPlay across ALL consoles and platforms.
 

PhiMed

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Nov 26, 2008
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666Chaos said:
PhiMed said:
Yes, it is. He can't use the "I already own a copy argument. He's pirating to play the DLC. How's he gonna do that unless he pirates the DLC, too? If he just pirates the base game a legitimately purchased DLC won't run.
Who said he was pirating it to play the DLC? Your statement seems extremely random considering that it was never mention at all anywhere.
Pretty sure the OP originally did. Either my memory is incorrect (quite possible. I'm taking tramadol for a bad cut I got on my hand yesterday) or the OP's been edited since I read it the first time.
 

HentMas

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Apr 17, 2009
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Rabish Bini said:
Downloading ROM's for emulators is legal if you actually own a physical copy, so I assume the same applies for this.
oh!, but the rom is inclusive to one system (nintendo consoles actualy) so i would argue that they are both different games because they exist in different formats for different platforms, i mean, in the cost of the game they also charge you for the "port" to the platform of your choosing, so you are paying some to the XBOX for playing in it, then if you want it in another platform it would only be fair to pay enough to cover those costs

imo
 

SenseOfTumour

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Jul 11, 2008
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This is one of those dilemmas where the industry needs to decide, are we buying the games, do we own them, or are we paying for the right to play them?

Either we own them, and we have more rights than they'd like, or we're renting the right to play them, in which case it should be like Steam's doing, or at least taking the first step towards. On Steam, you buy a Valve game, you get it available for PC and Mac.

OF course, this is complicated now, but if the next generation of consoles is going to be online stores only, there's not really any excuse to not unlock a purchased game for all formats, just like some of the more sensible movie companies are doing Blurays packaged with a dvd and a digital copy in one box.

You know what people who buy the Bluray 'triple play' movies, aren't doing? They're not hunting for a torrent site to find a copy of the movie they bought and paid for, to play on their ipod, and maybe not discovering how easy it is to pirate stuff.
 

Savagezion

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Mar 28, 2010
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No, it isn't. Saying it is, is the same thing as saying you have to buy 2 versions of the PS3 copy if you have 2 PS3s.
 

teknoarcanist

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Jun 9, 2008
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Yes, it is. "The way you see it" is irrelevant. Those big long EULA's which you either read, check-box sign, or are implied as complicit to by the act of playing the game allow for a license to that copy of the game, and nothing else. It's fucked up, but thems the breaks.
 

rokkolpo

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Aug 29, 2009
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Yes.
But no.

You paid them.

While we are on topic, is trading with friends still considered pirating?
 

FoolKiller

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Feb 8, 2008
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I would say no and I will liken it to music.

I look at it as if I owned the music on a tape and then downloaded the song in an mp3 format. I have paid for the song so I should be able to enjoy it anywhere I want.

The only touchy area I imagine is if you consider the cost to be unique for each platform.

On a side note:
If I have paid for a game and the disc is unreadable, should the company then replace the disc for less than the retail price since I have already paid for the use of the software?