Recently the ISDA has been targeting Abandonware game sites to force the removal of most or all the games on these sites. An organisation has been set up to try to combat this problem, if you wish to register your support please go to:
http://www.bhlegend.com/icas/
The International Campaign of Abandonware Supporters, if you can spread the word about this site it would be most appreciated.
First off, Halibut, it's the IDSA (http://www.idsa.com/) and they are a far more than an "anti abandonware" group.
I have been into emulation for many, many years and have made friends with the owners of hundreds of sites.
First of all there is www.vimm.net, and is the most popular emulation site I visit. Along with www.edgeemu.com and pe200.net.
Lets look at vimms site, vimm has been distributing NES and SNES rom's for many years and has never had any form of contact from the IDSA or JYT or any of the software piracy organisations. Vimm gets 30,000 gets a day. But never has a single e-mail or warning letter from any organisations. If you speak to regulars at vimms, you'll understand the carrying of Gameboy ROM's and GBA ROM's are considered "lame". So it could be said, to the REAL people in the emulation world and old games world, consider everybody at BHlegend to be a load of lamers. I guarantee, Amalgam would feel no pity!
Vimm is Ok because he doesn't distribute games STILL in production or on sale in shops! Bhlegend does, and for that reason, I feel absolutely no sympathy for them. They have many titles which you can still purchase. This was brought to my attention when choke, took a good look at the BHlegend database. When we were going to upload pictures of fish to replace the games. So people would download fish.
I have seen MANY sites go down to the IDSA. Take pe2000.net. They are about to be shut down completely and are one of THE emulation sites around at the moment. This wasn't because "it's an emulation site and that's wrong" it was because (much like Bhlegend) it had games still being produced and sold in shops. It had a link to the brand new GBA ROM's "Zelda" on it's main page. What do you expect Nintendo and the IDSA to do? Ignore the whole thing completely. I think they're being VERY fair. They allow you to have games not being produced without hassle and allow almost all emulation to go along Ok! Apart from BLATANT piracy like Gameboy ROM's and N64 ROM's.
Ok, bhlegend isn't a bad site and has an average bunch of people on it's forums who seem nice enough. But it's still breaking the law. Although emulation is illegal and abandonware is too, carrying VERY old games is FAR less likely to get you into trouble.
I've got ONE idea that could save BHlegend. Because once the IDSA "notice" you. You're pretty ****ed. The only way to carry on is to register a new domain, get a whole lot of new hosts and completely take the site elsewhere.
Change the name of the site as well and carry on and wait for a few more years till the IDSA get onto THAT site.
Ya know I would, but you'd like it just tooooooooo much, not to mention it'd make your lil lady jealous, and we wouldn't want that now would we children?
<Marby> we are from vimms
<NEsroms-o> im from pe2000
<NEsroms-o> .net
<Marby> getting ashut down ain't ya?
<NEsroms-o> which was attacked by IDSA
<NEsroms-o> nope
<Vegeta_Z> ahh, I like that site
<NEsroms-o> we have back up systems
<Marby> not shutting down?
<NEsroms-o> we are putting up
<NEsroms-o> nope
<NEsroms-o> we put up amiga
<NEsroms-o> msx
<NEsroms-o> still getting 30 thousand hits
<NEsroms-o> ;o
<Vegeta_Z> now there are just a bunch of PD roms for SNES and uhh....Genesis maybe
<NEsroms-o> yea
<NEsroms-o> idsa is gay
<Vegeta_Z> hahaha
<Vegeta_Z> it is
AS chat on mIRC. Looks like you CAN beat the IDSA...