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If it's so difficult to determine ownership, shouldn't it be easier to release? Throw it up on a free service somewhere and respond to DMCA takedowns in the rar

If it's so difficult to determine ownership, shouldn't it be easier to release? Throw it up on a free service somewhere and respond to DMCA takedowns in the rare event the owner shows up out of the woodwork. I suppose one difficulty is that DOS games were released before the DMCA, or before the DMCA's process was clear. And the old system wasn't so forgiving.

kristofferR 10y ago
> If it's so difficult to determine ownership, shouldn't it be easier to release? Throw it up on a free service somewhere and respond to DMCA takedowns in the rare event the owner shows up out of the woodwork. You just described archive.org ;)
- jayofdoom 10y ago
  Actually, archive.org has a copyright exemption from the Library of Congress for certain stuff (of which I think this falls into). http://archive.org/about/dmca.php http://archive.org/about/dmca.php
Teever 10y ago
How is the DMCA more forgiving than the original system?
- wmil 10y ago
  Under the DMCA the hosting company is free from liability if they respond to takedown requests properly. Prior to that their liability wasn't a clear legal question so there was alway lawsuit potential. Archive.org could still end up in more trouble under the DMCA because lawyers could argue that there's a pattern of violations and it's not a neutral carrier.
cgriswald 10y ago
> If it's so difficult to determine ownership, shouldn't it be easier to release? No, because while it may be difficult for you to determine ownership, the actual owners may be well aware of their IP. >Throw it up on a free service somewhere and respond to DMCA takedowns in the rare event the owner shows up out of the woodwork. The DMCA protects the free service, it doesn't protect you.
groby_b 10y ago
The problem is asymmetry along two axes. The first, information asymmetry. The person holding the code (the lone developer with an old floppy disk stored in the attic) has no idea who the owner might be. The actual owner is well aware of what they own. That could be resolved by a DMCA takedown notice, yes. Alas, there's usually also financial asymmetry. And as an individual, the potential costs of a copyright lawsuit are not something you want to face. As a larger company, it's just part of your normal expenses - especially if your business model is "accumulate IP"

kristofferR 10y ago

> If it's so difficult to determine ownership, shouldn't it be easier to release? Throw it up on a free service somewhere and respond to DMCA takedowns in the rare event the owner shows up out of the woodwork. You just described archive.org ;)

jayofdoom 10y ago
Actually, archive.org has a copyright exemption from the Library of Congress for certain stuff (of which I think this falls into). http://archive.org/about/dmca.php http://archive.org/about/dmca.php

Teever 10y ago

How is the DMCA more forgiving than the original system?

wmil 10y ago
Under the DMCA the hosting company is free from liability if they respond to takedown requests properly. Prior to that their liability wasn't a clear legal question so there was alway lawsuit potential. Archive.org could still end up in more trouble under the DMCA because lawyers could argue that there's a pattern of violations and it's not a neutral carrier.

cgriswald 10y ago

> If it's so difficult to determine ownership, shouldn't it be easier to release? No, because while it may be difficult for you to determine ownership, the actual owners may be well aware of their IP. >Throw it up on a free service somewhere and respond to DMCA takedowns in the rare event the owner shows up out of the woodwork. The DMCA protects the free service, it doesn't protect you.

groby_b 10y ago

The problem is asymmetry along two axes. The first, information asymmetry. The person holding the code (the lone developer with an old floppy disk stored in the attic) has no idea who the owner might be. The actual owner is well aware of what they own. That could be resolved by a DMCA takedown notice, yes. Alas, there's usually also financial asymmetry. And as an individual, the potential costs of a copyright lawsuit are not something you want to face. As a larger company, it's just part of your normal expenses - especially if your business model is "accumulate IP"