On 16 Aug 99, at 16:25, David Ledbury wrote:
> > On 15 Aug 99, at 22:24, Martin Wilson wrote: > > > > > > The last time this one was mentioned someone went on to say that > > > > they shouldn't be uploaded because of various copyright reasons. > > > >=20 > > >=20 > > > > I think before u even think of doing this - you should contact Persona: > their telephone number is on my website www.persona.clara.net The reasons why we've put this debate into the public forum is to get feedback and debate the issue publically. Certainly the arguments _for_ putting some downloads up are clear. I'm waiting for someone to enter into the public forum and explain the reasons _against_. Of course I'm not out to put everybody in the SAM world out of a job, and I don't want to damage any potential trade that might exist, but most of teh games and utilities that I would be interested in putting on an ftp were written ten years ago - thing like MultiPack, Mind Games, Defenders etc. Utils like Etracker - freeware anyway now, perhaps version 1 of the MIDI Sequencer, Football Director II, Famous Five, Issues 1-50 of FRED, pretty much every other disk magazine. Most of the people on this list are likely to already have this stuff anyway - the only people who'd be getting freebies would be those who were new to the SAM Emulator scene - people who are unlikely to buy any of this software from a company whilst just dabbling with the SAM but who would possibly putmoney into the SAM if they got interested in it. Companies have been flogging some of this software for ten years now - imagine if Ocean were selling Hunchback or Mr Wimpy for full price whilst they were releasing Chase HQ on the Speccy - it would have been ridiculous. There's nothing stopping people from putting the files up there now - stick them on an ftp in another country, Russia for example, and you'd have a nightmare trying to bring a copyright suit against them. However, the whole thing is much better done in cooperation with the SAM world rather than against it. A better idea would be to knock up a CDR with everything the SAM has had written for it on it plus an emulator. You could then flog this and redirect some money back into the companies who participated. The last tim this kind of idea was mooted around, various 'industry heavies' if indeed we have a SAM industry scrambled around desperately trying to put a stop to it all to preserve their crumbling monopolies. Sorry folks, but its open season now. Either come up with some attractive ways of remarketing games that most SAM owners already have, or expect the worst. This is a chance to do somethig a bit different and take the SAM into the new millenium with a chance of survival - even if it is only in emulated form. Go on - send me the death threats that usually accompany anybody who tries to undermine the great Fred / Format empire. [god i love stirring it up!] > > > -- > Peace, Love and Kisses, JohnnaPig Teare http://www.theunstoppablesexmachine.freeserve.co.uk "It won't get better but it might never get worse..."
