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Slartibartfast
Account closed
Registered: Jul 2002
Posts: 230 |
** Link removed by CSDb staff due to copyright. Please do not provide download links to this **
Well, there has been a few of these notices today, on certain Protovision releases that have been cracked and released by some people on CSDb.
Cracking has always been a large part of the scene, arguably the biggest and also what has ultimately ensured the scene to exist today.
If it weren't for cracking, piracy if you will, many games simply wouldn't be available on the web today. The C64dtv wouldn't have much of a lineup, all the games on it were cracks from the scene.
Now this issue has come to CSDb again, over old releases of Protovision games. Download links removed, to files which are definitely a part of the scene.
I can understand the policy on this, it's a way to protect CSDb against legal action. Other sites, for instance GB64, have tackled this by not hosting the files and just providing links to them.
But CSDb won't allow even that, if someone has an issue with their copyrighted work being available, the links will be removed. Even links provided by the user in their comment to the entry, will be censored and removed.
There is nothing regarding this policy in the CSDb FAQ, yet there is this disclaimer:
"Who's responsible for this?
We cannot take responsibility for the content of this database as all information is submitted by users."
So, that says straight out that CSDb is not responsible for the content.
It can be said that this is a way to protect CSDb in future, but from whom exactly? Can anyone honestly see Chronosoft or Protovision sueing anyone? Or if this is a measure to protect CSDb, could it go further and remove all cracks from the site?
On the other hand, CSDb are just trying to protect themselves, from Protovision apparently. Should we take the old debate over piracy directly to Protovision? As sceners themselves, they should know better than to be taking on this issue against sceners. Don't we all know by now that the people who would download these cracks, are not the same people that would buy it? That some of the people that get the game for free may even consider buying it at a later point?
One of the Protovision founders was a cracker himself, other members have been crackers, swappers or undoubtedly recipients of pirated software themselves.
This seemed to start with Macgyver altering a release of a PTV game here yesterday. A member of Protovision and also a CSDb admin. He was a swapper in the past.
Is this censorship really necessary? Do Protovision really think they would lose sales of these games, does CSDb really think there is any threat of legalities from an admin of this site?
This is an issue that strikes deep with many in the scene, and this site is an essential part of the scene today.
Surely there must be a better way to deal with this.
So let's discuss it here rather than in comments on these censored releases ;) |
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Seven
Registered: Jan 2002
Posts: 202 |
Here's the thing we all should give a thought...
The internet is not a geek thing anymore, everybody and his grandma surfs the web or googles around. That includes company employees and lawyers.
I don't know about you, but I'd rather have all links to cracks removed than have someone who still owns the right to this or that game discover that there's some quick money to make and sue the Noname guys just because he legally can.
Just a week or so ago, a german publishing company lost the case where they were sued for 500,000 Euro in damages by the music industry because they published an article about a DVD copying program (programs that circumvent copy protections are considered illegal in Germany) and supplied a link to the vendor's webpage. ( http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/58249 )
In a world where things like that happen, I'd rather be on the safe side, even if it means not to list URLs to cracks of games that most of the time aren't worth the trouble to download them anyways. |
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hollowman
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 474 |
Quote: mature and scene in the same sentence, shouldn't there be an "im" there somewhere. Or was it a typo for manure?
i thought you had quit the scene |
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Jazzcat
Registered: Feb 2002
Posts: 1044 |
Quote: Jazzcat, to explain, I was making a statement about the scene. Is it that difficult to understand?
Also I don't see why being anti copyright is more mature than being pro copyright. Anyway...who cares, it is all manure in the end.
Your entitled to your statement. Its not difficult to understand, as is my view on the scene and "tradition".
I think some of us have been doing this long enough to understand certain principles, a pity those who don't understand have no willingness to try and consider it. |
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Mermaid
Registered: Jan 2002
Posts: 338 |
Quote: i thought you had quit the scene
I thought so too :-( |
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Scout
Registered: Dec 2002
Posts: 1570 |
What offences me the most is that the person in question (MacGyver) is a CSDB admin *and* a member of Protovision.
How can an admin of a (warez) scenedatabase have commercial ties to a games company?
Macgyver should make a choice and stop playing the bully with admin rights.
R.
-= Silicon Ltd. =-
http://www.deco-design.com/scl |
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TDJ
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 1879 |
Well, I've been part of this scene thingy for quite a long time, and all I can say is that I totally agree with Seven on this.
But then again, I don't give a flying fig about the cracking scene anyway, never have :) |
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Jazzcat
Registered: Feb 2002
Posts: 1044 |
Scout: good points. It seems ONLY to be MacGyver who has the problem with some links. NO ONE else.
This is a fucking scene database. If there is links to FTPs, then this is no ones fault. The database is open to the public.
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cba
Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 935 |
yeah this MacGyver seems to have way to much power here,
I've already suggested to the REAL csdb staff to
remove his rights, but apparently they seem to be
very happy with him and just decided to do nothing.
This while he's the one that removed my locks on
the two Protovision cracks 'Ice Guys' and 'Bomb Mania'
and place his own name on it.
Heard later from Jazzcat that he pulled the same trick
with him on the release from Hockey Mania...
This database has been infected by some commercial minded
lamer
A shame...
Niels |
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hollowman
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 474 |
Quote: What offences me the most is that the person in question (MacGyver) is a CSDB admin *and* a member of Protovision.
How can an admin of a (warez) scenedatabase have commercial ties to a games company?
Macgyver should make a choice and stop playing the bully with admin rights.
R.
-= Silicon Ltd. =-
http://www.deco-design.com/scl
then he can also stop (ab)using his ability to see the identity of anonymous voters |
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Puterman
Account closed
Registered: Jan 2002
Posts: 188 |
Quote: then he can also stop (ab)using his ability to see the identity of anonymous voters
And then again, maybe _everyone_ should have that ability. Woops, wrong discussion. :) |
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