Limewire?

usbcd36 · Post by **usbcd36** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 6:59 pm

Technically yes. The only TRULY legal way to get ROMs is to download them from your own cartridges.

Also, if you happen to have a Mac, downloading stuff from LimeWire is much less dangerous, although there may be some risks now that Mac malware is starting to appear. It's still ok though, since the only two out are pretty much gone (the one that spread through BlueTooth is dead, and you have to open bad files from an IM to get the other).

Post by **Skyone** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 7:21 pm

usbcd36 wrote:Technically yes. The only TRULY legal way to get ROMs is to download them from your own cartridges.

Also, if you happen to have a Mac, downloading stuff from LimeWire is much less dangerous, although there may be some risks now that Mac malware is starting to appear. It's still ok though, since the only two out are pretty much gone (the one that spread through BlueTooth is dead, and you have to open bad files from an IM to get the other).

Are you sure you can't download the rom while owning the physical game also?

usbcd36 · Post by **usbcd36** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 7:52 pm

No, it has to be a true backup of YOUR cartridge. Stupid, but true.

Post by **Skyone** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 8:05 pm

usbcd36 wrote:No, it has to be a true backup of YOUR cartridge. Stupid, but true.

Oh, well good, I'm not doing anything illegal then.

Post by **bicostp** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 8:32 pm

You can't download the game off the internet; you have to make a copy of your EXACT cartridge YOURSELF to make it more towards the light end of the grey area.

Post by **Skyone** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 8:40 pm

How the hell could they tell the difference anyways?

Post by **SpongeBuell** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 8:44 pm

I'm guessing there is hex data or some weird thing like that (keep in mind, I'm halfway talking out of my ass here

)

Post by **marshallh** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 8:54 pm

SpongeBuell wrote:I'm guessing there is hex data or some weird thing like that (keep in mind, I'm halfway talking out of my ass here )

Most N64 roms have the extension .v64 which is the format that the Doctor V64 by Bung uses to dump cartridges. If you dumped the cartridge yourself, you'd get the exact same file you would as downloading the ROM.
Keep in mind Bung was sued by Nintendo and they were forced to liquidate, so getting a Doctor V64 is tough (ebay US removes the auction immediately.)
And this is coming from somebody who's currently putting together bits of a N64 game

Check out dextrose.com if you need to know more.

There are plenty of ways Nintendo can find to sue you if they find you playing ROMs, legal or not. For example, they can sue you for using an emulator to bypass the lockout chip in the N64 game carts. Or more likely, use the Digital Millenium Copyright Act of 2000 to declare you copied their intellectual property when you dumped the cart.

You are never safe playing commercial roms, but although this is gray the big N doesn't give a crap about it (they can't really stop anyone from doing it.) What really gets their goat is finding people with official Nintendo devkits and programming reference manuals as well as even third-party devkits.

Being protected by the law? Forget about it. Unless we do something, the justice system will continue to be overrun by huge corporations. (A good way to start would be to defeat the *IAA.)

Whew, what was I talking about again?

sam fisher · Post by **sam fisher** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 12:52 am

However by law your allowed to make a backup of a game but must not use it unlesss the original one is detroyed beyond repair. Basically you can use it if 1, you dump it yourself, 2, you smash up your old cartridge and then burn it a lot.