Dumping ROMs without consent of machine owner

[JBerel]

I've read many times that it kinda sucks.

[negative1]

I just wish someone would find a way to do this to Marble Man. I so want to play this game before I die...

As i've mentioned before, just play the android/java app:

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/55936-can-marble-man-ever-be-released/page-2?do=findComment&comment=4160871

 

 

 

it pretty much has more than 50% of the game elements, and is actually better in many ways,

since you can actually play it, instead of going to california extreme.

 

 

 

later

-1

[godslabrat]

No it doesn't..does it? Makes'em look stupid if you ask me. OTH gotta feel sorry for them if they have to spend that kind of money to feel good. Or even enjoy the hobby.

Since the hobby went mainstream, there's been this weird breed of ultra-collectors who seem to want recognition for being able to by an insanely expensive game. "Hey, I have an NWC, want my autograph?" I don't get why people think that makes sense. At least in the rgvc days, those who had the super rare stuff understood we were social retards and didn't expect accolades for it.

[The Usotsuki]

The biggest "issue" these high-end collectors always seem to have with dumping their ROMs is that 'it devalues my investment!'. And That. Is. BULL.

Been there. I deliberately gore those sacred cows.

 

Three words.

 

Dragon. Ball. Z.

 

My friend and I took a lot of heat for releasing the broadcast audio for that because people were making money selling copies of it, and we killed their golden goose.

[Keatah]

I'm rarely impressed by rare games. They're rare usually because they suck - and not many were made.I bet a lot fo folks are playing this latest leak and trying to like it "just because". From the previews and whatnot it isn't quite my style of game.

These so-called uber elite collectorz seem to wanna be the center of attention. Don't give them that. Don't put gas in their bandwagon. Let it stutter to a stop.

[Yak]

Incidentally on some forums I've seen speculation that perhaps Atari themselves aren't aware of this old game and/or in some way they don't care about its copyright. I can tell you definitively that that isn't the case as I had reason not long ago to have a good nose through Atari's exhaustive list of "Stuff That We Own" and Akka Arrh is right there.

 

Personally I think the rom's release is a positive thing - I love arcade history and do find it very interesting to see prototypes and things that never made it out or which were radically different in development, and I honestly don't think the availability of a ROM will in any way affect the value of the old cabs themselves - there are still only three. And hell if he ever does want to sell one maybe he'd actually find more interest amongst potential purchasers now there's all this extra interest about the game.

 

I've had half an eye out for Akka Arrh for a while now - the screenshots intrigued me, with the pleasing lotus/mandala structures on the first screen and the zoom in to blasty action on the second one. Only a month ago I was looking for a video of gameplay and came up empty. Now I've seen video and look forward to trying the ROM in due course and finally get to play a game that's intrigued me for years. It's a long way to go to California Extreme from Wales.

[negative1]

I'm rarely impressed by rare games. They're rare usually because they suck - and not many were made.I bet a lot fo folks are playing this latest leak and trying to like it "just because". From the previews and whatnot it isn't quite my style of game.

you haven't played enough prototype or rare games then.

there's plenty of prototype versions in MAME that have significant differences and changes from actual arcade releases.

 

the unique ones can sometimes be more interesting than actual releases. i keep mentioning maze invaders (arcade) which

was on the last atari vol 3 collection. i had never bothered to look it up in MAME, but after playing it, its up there with

other favorite games from atari.

 

missile command 2 - with 2 player would have been interesting.

 

cloud 9 - reminds me of megamania

 

tomcat flight simulator looked pretty advanced

 

air race looked like a cool 3d game

 

and the laserdisc battlestar galactica would be a fun shooter

 

atari arcade classics - had super missile command and super centipede, solid versions

 

hard drivin airborne - had a cool premise also.

 

and there are many others, this is just atari.

 

later

-1

[Keatah]

There is actually a MissileCommand 2 in MAME? And Tomcat flight sim is there too? Hopefully EarthFriendMission will someday surface. IIRC the operator had told me the boards were removed onsite and the rest of the housing simply put out for the trash truck - despite the test arcade being only some 10 or 20 miles from the factory.

[Tanooki]

 

I agree- especially since at those events (at least the ones I went to), it was literally just sitting on a table- no glass, no velvet rope. You wanna touch it? Come touch it! Come play Street Fighter 2!

 

I think that's the right attitude- games are meant to be played. A game hoarded to one's self might as well not exist.

That's what happened to me last year when it hit down for the yearly show. It was nice to be able to see, touch and talk about the unicorn of SNES lore right there after it had been basically fixed up too. They were very nice and gracious, not as said earlier, Gollum like, or losers who hoard stuff to lord it over others. Something bad happens to those guys, people would be up in arms for real and looking to crack skulls to get that back. The whiner about this Atari game left to rot as it has been in obscurity without some museum level archival care taken of it, you get these type of screw em responses. Like JSM said -- exploitation, people who do that with the hobby get what they have coming to them and few will shed a tear over it other than those who are like minded in being scumbags.

[+x=usr(1536)]

I just wish someone would find a way to do this to Marble Man. I so want to play this game before I die...

 

If you want to play it for curiosity's sake and to cross it off the bucket list, that's perfectly understandable. Having said that: I got to play it at CAX when it was there in 2000, and let's just say that there are reasons why some games never make it to production. It's far from the worst game I've ever played, or even just being downright bad, but as sequels go it doesn't live up to the standard set by the original, IMHO.

 

Back on topic for a moment: one thing that I find as perplexing as the idea that dumping and releasing ROM images of a game devalues original copies of that game is the idea that collectors are somehow obligated to release dumps of rare and prototype games to the public, which is in turn entitled to receive them. Neither one is a concept that I agree with, and both are equally distasteful for different reasons.

 

What I do find utterly reprehensible in this (assuming that it is an accurate account of what happened) is that a tech who had access to the game dumped and released the ROMs. I don't care what that person's motivations were; this is a breach of trust and, if it is truly how things went down, the public should be made aware of that person's actions so that they are unable to do this again. It's no different in my book to hiring someone to do work on your home, then finding out that they've been going through your personal possessions while you've been away during the day.

 

Incidentally, if this phantom tech's motives were primarily centred around preservation, then those motives were utterly misplaced. The Akka Arrh ROMs have been dumped for many, many years at this point and are not in danger of being lost, nor were they prior to their recent release.

[HoshiChiri]

Yup. And paying a lot of money for old "rare" games doesn't make a person more interesting.

 

 

No it doesn't..does it? Makes'em look stupid if you ask me. OTH gotta feel sorry for them if they have to spend that kind of money to feel good. Or even enjoy the hobby.

 

It's not the money that makes the collection- it's the PASSION. If someone tells you "I got a copy of Rarezor 3: Valubabel! It cost me like, 3 months salary, you know? But it's worth it. So, what do you have?" That's not gonna be a guy you really want to talk to.

 

Now, if you plop down for a panel at a con, and the guy next to you starts gushing "I'm sorry man, but I'm just so excited- I found Rarezor 3! My wife's gonna kill me for buying it, but I LOVED this game as a kid! Me and my friends used to rent it from this mom n' pop shop owned by a guy with one eye, and we'd fight over who got to take it home for the weekend. Then one day, it's gone- somebody didn't return the rental. I haven't played it since! I've been looking for YEARS, man! This is the best! Did you know it's directed by the same guy who did Platform Pete & the Fakies? The company was so happy with his early demos that..."

 

The second guy is rambling, but I'm probably gonna listen to him, becuase it's clear he cares about the actual games. First guy's just fishing for compliments & validation based on his wallet. He probably picked games becuase it's cheaper than designer clothes or cars or something.

[Reaperman]

If I took a classic car in for an oil change, I'd be pretty pissed if the shop took a mold of my dome light buckets so some kit car company can stick them to their fiberglass abomination.

As much as disliking the initial violation of my trust, I dislike that when something invariably goes wrong with the process, I'd never suspect what happened to break it, and nobody would dare fess up.

 

That said, if I tripped over a super rare game, I would look to get it dumped. I just want a say over the process, and who's hands I trust not to break my things. I'm glad this one seems to have worked out.

Edited April 29, 2019 by Reaperman

[negative1]

There is actually a MissileCommand 2 in MAME? And Tomcat flight sim is there too? Hopefully EarthFriendMission will someday surface. IIRC the operator had told me the boards were removed onsite and the rest of the housing simply put out for the trash truck - despite the test arcade being only some 10 or 20 miles from the factory.

not yet, but people have played them. there's videos on youtube of all those games.

look for atari prototypes:

 

https://arcadeheroes.com/2012/06/15/atari-prototypes-over-the-years-mega-post/

 

https://arcadeheroes.com/master-list-unreleasedprototype-arcade-games/

 

there are some playable ones:

MAME » 1942 (prototype)

MAME » 3 On 3 Dunk Madness (US, prototype? 1997/02/04)

 

MAME » Agent X (prototype, rev 1)

MAME » Agent X (prototype, rev 2)

MAME » Agent X (prototype, rev 3)

MAME » Agent X (prototype, rev 4)

MAME » Air Race (prototype)

MAME » Albatross (US Prototype?)

 

 

MAME » Alpha Mission II / ASO II - Last Guardian (prototype)

MAME » Alpha One (prototype, 3 lives)

MAME » Alpha One (prototype, 5 lives)

MAME » Arcade Classics (prototype)

MAME » Argus (Gottlieb, prototype)

MAME » Armor Attack (prototype)

 

 

MAME » Asylum (prototype)

MAME » Atari Mini Golf (prototype)

 

 

MAME » Barroom Baseball (prototype)

MAME » Bases Loaded (Prototype, PlayChoice-10)

 

 

MAME » BeatHead (prototype)

MAME » BioFreaks (prototype)

 

MAME » Black Widow (prototype)

MAME » Blandia (prototype)

MAME » Bombjack Twin (prototype? with adult pictures)

MAME » Bonze Adventure (World, prototype)

 

 

MAME » Bow & Arrow (Prototype)

MAME » Boxer (prototype)

MAME » Bubble Bobble II (Ver 0.0J 1993/12/13, prototype)

MAME » Bubbles (prototype version)

 

 

MAME » Burning Fight (prototype)

MAME » Cadash (World, prototype)

MAME » Cannonball (Atari, prototype)

MAME » Canyon Bomber (prototype)

MAME » Catch (prototype)

MAME » Center Court (World, 4 Players, prototype, MC-8123B)

MAME » Chase Bombers (Japan Prototype)

MAME » Chimera Beast (prototype)

MAME » Choutetsu Brikin'ger - Iron clad (Prototype)

MAME » Choutetsu Brikin'ger - Iron clad (Prototype, bootleg)

MAME » Cloud 9 (prototype)

MAME » Command War - Super Special Battle & War Game (Ver 0.0J) (Prototype)

 

 

MAME » Cyberball (prototype)

MAME » Daioh (prototype)

MAME » Dan-Ku-Ga (Ver 0.0J 1994/12/13) (Prototype)

MAME » Demons & Dragons (prototype)

MAME » Digger Man (prototype)

 

 

MAME » Dona Barata (early prototype)

 

 

MAME » Doraemon no Eawase Montage (prototype)

MAME » Double Dragon 3 - The Rosetta Stone (prototype)

MAME » Double Dribble (prototype?)

MAME » DownTown / Mokugeki (prototype)

MAME » Dragon's Lair 2: Time Warp (US v2.00, AMOA prototype)

MAME » Dual Games (prototype)

 

MAME » Earthshaker (Prototype) (PA-1)

MAME » Eight Ball Deluxe (prototype rev. 1)

MAME » Eight Ball Deluxe (prototype rev. 2)

MAME » Eight Ball Deluxe (prototype rev. 3)

MAME » Eight Ball Deluxe (prototype rev. 4)

 

 

MAME » Eliminator (4 Players, prototype)

MAME » Fantasy Zone (prototype)

MAME » Fantasy Zone II - The Tears of Opa-Opa (System 16C version, prototype)

MAME » Faster, Harder, More Challenging Q*bert (prototype)

 

 

MAME » Firebeast (prototype)

MAME » Fishin' Frenzy (prototype)

MAME » Flash Gordon (prototype rev. 1)

MAME » Flash Gordon (prototype rev. 2)

MAME » Flicker (prototype)

MAME » Freeze (Atari) (prototype, 96/09/07, Jamma-96)

MAME » Freeze (Atari) (prototype, 96/09/20, AMOA-96)

MAME » Freeze (Atari) (prototype, 96/10/03)

MAME » Freeze (Atari) (prototype, 96/10/07)

MAME » Freeze (Atari) (prototype, 96/10/18)

MAME » Freeze (Atari) (prototype, English voice, 96/10/25)

MAME » Freeze (Atari) (prototype, Japanese voice, 96/10/25)

 

MAME » G.I. Joe (World, EB8, prototype?)

 

 

MAME » Garou - Mark of the Wolves (prototype)

MAME » Ghostlop (prototype)

MAME » Ghosts'n Goblins (prototype)

MAME » Gold Fish (020903, prototype)

MAME » Golden Castle (prototype?)

MAME » Got-Ya (12/24/1981, prototype?)

MAME » Gravitar (prototype)

 

 

MAME » Growl (World, prototype)

MAME » Grudge Match (prototype)

MAME » Guts n' Glory (prototype)

MAME » Hammer Away (Japan, prototype)

MAME » Hard Drivin's Airborne (prototype)

MAME » Hard Drivin's Airborne (prototype, early rev)

MAME » High Impact Football (prototype, rev 8.6 12/09/90)

MAME » High Spirits (Empire) (IMPACT) (prototype?)

 

 

MAME » House of the Dead 2 (prototype)

MAME » Hydra (prototype 5/14/90)

MAME » Hydra (prototype 5/25/90)

 

MAME » Insector (prototype)

MAME » International Team Laser (prototype)

MAME » Ixion (prototype)

MAME » Judge Dredd (rev LA1, prototype)

 

 

MAME » King of the Monsters 2 - The Next Thing (prototype)

MAME » Kiss (prototype)

MAME » Klax (prototype set 1)

MAME » Klax (prototype set 2)

 

 

MAME » Knightmare (prototype)

MAME » Knuckle Heads (Japan, Prototype?)

MAME » Kuri Kinton (World, prototype?)

MAME » Land Maker (Ver 2.02O 1998/06/02) (Prototype)

MAME » Lemmings (US prototype)

 

 

MAME » Lunar Battle (prototype, earlier)

MAME » Lunar Battle (prototype, later)

MAME » Major Havoc (prototype)

MAME » Maniac Square (prototype)

MAME » Maze Invaders (prototype)

 

 

MAME » Metal Maniax (prototype)

 

MAME » Moon War (prototype on Frenzy hardware)

MAME » Mortal Kombat (prototype, rev 4.0 07/14/92)

MAME » Mortal Kombat (prototype, rev 8.0 07/21/92)

MAME » Mortal Kombat (prototype, rev 9.0 07/28/92)

MAME » Mr. Do! (prototype)

MAME » Mystic Marathon (prototype)

MAME » NBA Jam T.E. Nani Edition (rev 5.2 8/11/95, prototype)

MAME » Nouryoku Koujou Iinkai (prototype)

 

 

MAME » Orbs (10/7/94 prototype?)

 

MAME » Pipi & Bibis / Whoopee!! (prototype)

 

MAME » Planet Probe (prototype?)

MAME » PlayBall! (prototype)

MAME » Pop Shot (prototype)

MAME » Puyo Puyo Fever (prototype ver 0.01)

MAME » Puzzle Club (Japan prototype)

MAME » Puzzle Time (prototype)

MAME » QB-3 (prototype)

MAME » Quantum (prototype)

MAME » Qwak (prototype)

MAME » R-Type (Japan prototype)

MAME » Race Drivin' Panorama (prototype, rev 2.1)

MAME » Rapid River (prototype)

MAME » Recalhorn (Ver 1.42J 1994/5/11) (Prototype)

MAME » Rise of the Robots (prototype)

MAME » Road Riot's Revenge (prototype, Jan 27, 1994, set 1)

MAME » Road Riot's Revenge (prototype, Jan 27, 1994, set 2)

MAME » Road Riot's Revenge (prototype, Sep 06, 1994)

MAME » Rock Duck (prototype?)

MAME » Rock'n 4 (Japan, prototype)

MAME » Rock'n Rage (prototype?)

 

MAME » Runaway (prototype)

MAME » S.T.U.N. Runner (upright prototype)

 

MAME » Samba De Amigo (prototype)

 

MAME » Scoop (Peter Simper, prototype?) (MPU3)

MAME » Screw Loose (prototype)

 

MAME » SegaSonic The Hedgehog (Japan, prototype)

 

MAME » Shrike Avenger (prototype)

MAME » Sinistar (prototype version)

 

MAME » Space Duel (prototype)

MAME » Space Invaders Multigame (prototype)

MAME » Sparkz (prototype)

MAME » Speed Ball - Contest at Neonworld (prototype)

MAME » Speed Coin (prototype)

MAME » Star Castle (prototype)

MAME » Star Trax (domestic prototype)

 

MAME » Starship 1 (prototype?)

MAME » Steel Talons (prototype)

MAME » Stinger (prototype?)

MAME » Street Drivin' (prototype)

MAME » Street Fighter (prototype)

 

MAME » Super Breakout (Canyon and Vertical Breakout, prototype)

MAME » Super Breakout (Cocktail, prototype)

MAME » Super Chase - Criminal Termination (1992/10/26 20:24:29 CHASE 3 VER 1.1, prototype)

MAME » Super High Impact (prototype, rev 4.0 09/10/91)

MAME » Super High Impact (prototype, rev 5.0 09/15/91)

MAME » Super High Impact (prototype, rev 6.0 09/23/91)

 

MAME » Super Pinball Action (prototype)

 

MAME » Syvalion (World, prototype)

MAME » T-MEK (v2.0, prototype)

MAME » T-MEK (v5.1, prototype)

MAME » Tank Battle (prototype rev. 4/21/92)

MAME » Tattoo Assassins (Asia prototype)

MAME » Tattoo Assassins (US prototype)

MAME » Tecmo Bowl (World, prototype?)

MAME » Teeter Torture (prototype)

MAME » Tenth Degree (prototype)

MAME » The Addams Family (Prototype L-5) (L-7)

MAME » The Addams Family (Prototype) (P-2)

MAME » The King of Fighters '99 - Millennium Battle (prototype)

MAME » The Last Starfighter (prototype)

MAME » The NewZealand Story (World, prototype?) (older PCB)

 

MAME » Toggle (prototype)

MAME » TomCat (prototype)

MAME » TomCat (Star Wars hardware, prototype)

MAME » Tora Tora (prototype?)

MAME » Total Carnage (prototype, rev 1.0 01/25/92)

MAME » Trog (prototype, rev 4.00 07/27/90)

MAME » Trog (prototype, rev PA6-PAC 09/09/90)

MAME » Turbo Sub (prototype rev. TSC6)

MAME » Turbo Sub (prototype rev. TSC7)

MAME » Turbo Sub (prototype rev. TSCA)

MAME » Turbo Tag (prototype)

MAME » Twin Qix (Ver 1.0A 1995/01/17) (Prototype)

MAME » Tylz (prototype)

MAME » U.N. Defense Force: Earth Joker (Japan, prototype?)

MAME » unknown fighting game 'BB' (prototype)

MAME » Vegas Poker (prototype, release 2) (MPU4 Video)

MAME » Vicious Circle (prototype)

MAME » Video Vince and the Game Factory (prototype)

MAME » Virtua NBA (prototype)

 

MAME » Warp Speed (prototype)

MAME » Wiz Warz (prototype)

 

MAME » Wolf Pack (prototype)

MAME » Wonder Boy (prototype?)

MAME » X2222 (5-level prototype)

MAME » Xor World (prototype)

 

MAME » Yukiwo (World, prototype)

MAME » Zombie Raid (9/28/95, Japan, prototype PCB)

MAME » Zombie Raid (9/28/95, US, prototype PCB)

 

 

later

-1

Edited April 29, 2019 by negative1

[sn8k]

Anything on a chip or harddrive passed a certain age NEEDS to be dumped. I don't care how much you paid or how "cool" you think you are within your circles.

 

Don't be a selfish dick. These things really can be lost forever. I'm still pressing on for the more complete version of MIA on 7800. If and or when I find it.....

 

You think I would hold it hostage? No. Because I know that..

 

1. No one should even have it to begin with

 

2. Making money off others work is big no no in this community as has been proven before.

 

3. You paid $10,000 for it? You're the one who needed it that bad. No reason to withhold it from everyone else when this thing shouldn't even be in your possession to begin with or most likely the person who sold it to you. If you were gonna buy it anyway. Take the damn hit.

 

4. WHERE THE %#$@ IS TOKI 7800?

[Keatah]

3. You paid $10,000 for it? You're the one who needed it that bad. No reason to withhold it from everyone else when this thing shouldn't even be in your possession to begin with or most likely the person who sold it to you. If you were gonna buy it anyway. Take the damn hit.

 

Who would determine that status?

[mr_me]

In some cases a prototype might be considered stolen goods. For example, if an employee takes a prototype cartridge home, it still belongs to his employer and then belongs to whoever bought those assets. I don't know if that's the case here.

Edited April 29, 2019 by mr_me

[John Stamos Mullet]

Also - in some states, dumpster diving is illegal and picking a discarded prototype out of some company's trash is a crime.

[John Stamos Mullet]

It's funny though, because my take in this whole subject is complicated.

 

In the case of ultra rare games like this where only 3 of them exist, dumping them and sharing them with the world is vital and necessary.

 

But it also irks me when people blather on about the "preservation" aspect of this hobby completely dishonestly, trying to justify their vast collection of ROMs for games they never have, nor plan to own in their original format. (Most likely because they can't afford to, as with most of us).

 

I have much more respect for those who admit they know ROM hoarding is mostly illegal, and they aren't preserving anything when the roms they have are for games easily

Purchased on the secondary market for short money. We're pirates. Admit it. Stop trying to justify it. You wanna own a playable copy of all these old arcade games, preferably without having to pay for it.

[mr_me]

I thought garbage theft was a local bylaw in some jurisdictions as opposed to state law. In any case if the garbage is on private property it's trespassing. Generally people consider garbage abandoned and don't have a problem with it being taken.

[+GoldenWheels]

Anything on a chip or harddrive passed a certain age NEEDS to be dumped. I don't care how much you paid or how "cool" you think you are within your circles.

 

Don't be a selfish dick. These things really can be lost forever. I'm still pressing on for the more complete version of MIA on 7800. If and or when I find it.....

 

 

No, they literally don't NEED to have anything done to them. Your life will be exactly as awesome or awful regardless of a bunch of bits getting dumped, whether they are lost forever or not.

[+x=usr(1536)]

 

No, they literally don't NEED to have anything done to them. Your life will be exactly as awesome or awful regardless of a bunch of bits getting dumped, whether they are lost forever or not.

 

Bingo!

 

I'm going to reiterate the points I made earlier in this thread, because they seem to routinely be ignored in favour of the 'ZOMG DUMP ALL THE THINGS AND GIMME THE ROMZ NO FU ONLY I GET TO PLAY LOLZ@U' oversimplifications that tend to be trotted out any time there's an Akka Arrh-type situation.

 

1) Someone who owns <insert machine / console / computer / media here> and chooses to not make copies of that data available to the public is entirely within their rights to do so. Don't like it? Fine; that's your prerogative. But that person is under no obligation to make copies available any more than someone who owns a Ferrari is obligated to hand over the keys to anyone who wants to drive it.

 

2) Nobody is entitled to receive copies of that data. Nobody. Just becuase you installed an emulator and have an interest in prototype or unreleased software doesn't mean that it's your divinely-bestowed right to have that data sitting on storage that you have access to against the wishes of the person who is the custodian of that data.

 

These are the two fundamental tenets that underpin the situation. We can go back and forth about how it's all theft, piracy, evil poopypants collectors hoarding games to inflate their value and e-peen while rubbing their hands together greedily and laughing at the thought of all the emulator users that they're depriving of the ability to play THEIR GAME, and come up with umpty-billion scenarios to justify either position's points of view.

 

Oh, and don't even try to trot out the data preservation angle as a justification. Yeah, data absolutely should be preserved, and there have been (and will continue to be) cases where data is lost, sometimes irretrievably. It truly sucks when that happens, and it's not something that I want to see take place. But, unlike Pokémon, data isn't something that we'll ever catch all of. In the case of Akka Arrh, if you truly, honestly believe that the data was never backed up prior to last week's release... There's a bridge I want to sell you.

 

The reality is that life is unfair, nobody's obligated to give you squat, and you're not entitled to receive it. The sooner you make peace with this, life will probably go a lot more smoothly for you.

[Gentlegamer]

 

1) Someone who owns <insert machine / console / computer / media here>

 

In most of the situations (prototype), the current possessor of the physical item is not the lawful owner.

 

Unreleased prototype software and hardware belongs to the original companies and their successors in interest.

 

In other words, Der Butter Monster actually has no legal rights to even possess the thing to begin with.

[+GoldenWheels]

Yeah x I was having hard time squaring those who clearly agree he had something of value, with those who somehow feel that value inherently belongs to them, or to "the public" at large etc. Very easy to say when the value wasn't yours to share/distribute however you want to term it.

 

Dude is, IMO, kind of a knob for not sharing the ROM. Period. But (and AGAIN all of this depends on this story being true, though it may not be) my solution to those who don't share, has never been to just take what I wanted anyway and it made me uncomfortable to see that kind of action or story kind of being lauded. As this is a weird situation with it being an intellectual property kind of thing, I won't even use the word "stole". It's a murky thing, and again I see no great 'crime' here either way. But...try coming into my house as a tech and see what happens if I catch you touching something you shouldn't. At the very least your boss is getting a call. At worst, there's an ass kicking happening.

 

DON'T TOUCH OTHER PEOPLE'S SHIT!

[+x=usr(1536)]

 

In most of the situations (prototype), the current possessor of the physical item is not the lawful owner.

 

Unreleased prototype software and hardware belongs to the original companies and their successors in interest.

 

In other words, Der Butter Monster actually has no legal rights to even possess the thing to begin with.

 

Doesn't matter. That conflates legal and ethical considerations with someone's decision to make the data available or not, and is a separate issue from the two points regarding the data custodian (I'll avoid the term 'owner' for now, since that seems to be a magnet for going off on unrelated tangents) and peanut gallery behaviour that underpin the Akka Arrh situation.

[Gentlegamer]

"Data Custodian"

 

LOL

 

Even "custodian" refers to lawful guardianship.

 

Prototype possessors have a legal claim to neither the physical medium nor the copyrighted code on it, and therefore have no legal or ethical standing to prevent someone else from dumping it when the opportunity arises, regardless of his "wishes." If he did, he could bring a legal suit. Please, be my guest.