alt Hacker NewsCould someone shed some light on what's the legality of publishing emulated abandonware? I remember not too long ago Half-Life 2's web port got posted, is that still online?
Replies
avaer • today at 9:49 AM
It's not legal. And in any case it's not abandonware, they're still actively selling these games (maybe not these exact versions, but I doubt a court would see that as a distinction with a difference).
lindkvis • today at 10:23 AM
Crystal clear illegal. And AFAIK Rockstar can be litigious.
Unless they've gotten a license to do it, it's a crystal clear copyright violation, generally done under the assumption/hope that an entity that has abandoned selling the game has also abandoned caring about enforcing its copyrights against such projects.