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deriks
4-Time GIF/Meme God
An emulator is technically legal, and if you dump your own copy still is legal. Everything else is not
Question is: how many really do this? I mean, dumping a copy is not cheap either...
Plies
GAF's Nicest Lunch Thief and Nosiest Dildo Archeologist
deriks
4-Time GIF/Meme God
MVG does, so you're no longer invited to this party
I'm not confirming or denying that I am
If it's the same as RetroArch, you get cloud saves with is good for multiple computers and also you get rolling updates automatically, I don't remember if dolphin already auto updates itself. Other than that nothing really that earth shattering.
Software emulation has been court tested in both the US and EU, it's not just on a "precarious legal line" it is very much legal, beside Software emulation goes beyond video games, some very important software relies in some sort of software emulation, you probably have a lot of OS/2-type legacy software or some ancient RISC software being use by governments themselves so why would they make it illegal?
But even in video games, if software emulation were to be made illegal it would also render every single third party collection illegal without approval from the original console manufacturer or worse the individual chips used (maybe Motorola would have a word with Sega about emulating a 68k on their collections), do you really see that happening?
Don't fall for Nintendo's concerned troll FUD, I'm pretty sure they are hurting a lot because people are emulating versions of games they don't even sell anymore.
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BennyBlanco
aka IMurRIVAL69
Steam Deck just gets better and better. 1 less non native app I have to scroll into that tab for.
ResurrectedContrarian
Suffers with mild autism
I wish development on the Dolphin VR fork had continued. It's completely out of sync with the base Dolphin now, years behind.
I know that the core Dolphin devs are committed to perfect emulation and not interested in things like VR which change the fundamental playing style, but they should consider an option like a plugin system that would permit maintaining something like this outside the main core.
I know that the core Dolphin devs are committed to perfect emulation and not interested in things like VR which change the fundamental playing style, but they should consider an option like a plugin system that would permit maintaining something like this outside the main core.
jshackles
Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
That's pretty sweet. I know that for me personally, Retroarch got way easier to use after it came to Steam - since it now syncs all of my settings and save files between my devices with Steam Cloud.
gradient
Resident Cheap Arse
Software emulation has been tested when it is not being used for profit or to directly undermine a competitor is the marketplace.
The legality of emulation is based on the crux that it is not being used commercially for profit and commercial gain. It has so far remained legal under the premise that it is not a commercial endevour and serves a primary purpose of homebrew and research. For a large commercial entity to endorse and support a tool that is primarily used for piracy of a competitors product in a market that they directly compete in and for use on a piece of hardware that directly imitates the deign and function of that competitor is REALLY pushing the line and risks undermining the tenuous legal defence emulators have relied upon for decades now.
Yes, the commercial adoption and endorsment of emulation by a large corp is very much a risk to that legal loophole that emulators have been sheltered by. If that corp collects usage data and is forced in court to demonstrate that the use of that emulator is not primarily piracy then the whole legal basis of homebrew and research is going to get challenged at a level is has never been before. Valve doesn't care if emulation gets torpedo'd, they'll just remove it from their store and argue down the damages based on the law being unclear, but that whole emulator community - they gain nothing and stand to lose everything.
AlteredForms
Banned
Oddvintagechap
Banned
It'a time.
For Nintendo to buy Valve.
For Nintendo to buy Valve.
DemonGamerTTT
Member
They can't really prove emulators illegal without lobbying or buying judges senators.
Emulators are a different software altogether there's absolutely 0 code from the original system in the emulator.
Saying that a emulator is illegal is the same as saying that any vehicle with 4 wheels and a motor is also illegal because other companies built something like that first.
Dude of you're smart enough you CAN build your own car, smartphone, digital display or guess what? A fucking emulator.
I don't understand why people like you are obsessed with the possibility of emulators "stealing" something when it in fact is a totally new creation that happens to be compatible with other software.
Gamerfan81
Member
If Steam really wanted to mess with Nintendo, they'll host and sell roms too. I might be mistaken, but I believe this is another grey legal area.
Plies
GAF's Nicest Lunch Thief and Nosiest Dildo Archeologist
That's no gray area. Distribution of roms is highly illegal.
Just look at Ninty's history of taking down websites.
They have been explicitly tested with commercial software, Sony v Connectix, Sony v Bleem, WSL v SAS, etc. Even recently you have similar stuff like Apple v Corellium.
iIt has never been legal under the assumption it's non commercial, it's legal, period. And no just because there is a large Corp behind does mean any of what you are implying, if any of that were true then MP3 players would have outlawed long ago since it's trivial to pull analitics from iTunes.
It's not a risk at all, you have commercials emulators on the Play Store for ages or are we going to pretend Google isn't a large Corp? Get out of here with that FUD
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nkarafo
Member
WTF dude, that's what you got from my post? I never said i agree with Nintendo, i said i'm afraid it will provoke them and cause trouble in the emulation community. I myself play with emulators 90% of the time.
BlackTron
Member
The pro-emulator people in this thread (like me) don't realize that if you are pro-emulator, that might mean you are anti-dolphin-on-Steam.
It's one thing for SteamDeck to double as a PC for you to do whatever you want with it, it's another thing for Steam to host an app on their storefront meant for running a competitors software. No shit there is not any Nintendo software in the emulator, you can stop calling people dumb for not recognizing this, we all get it. It's not our fault that your understanding of the nuance of the situation ends with that question (which nobody ever asked and does not dictate whether this is a big deal or not).
The implication is "Hey this plays Wii software, just make sure you only play fan-made Wii software and we're good, wink-wink" coming straight from the STEAM storefront. Yeah, that's why we're worried about laws getting changed here, and it being "fuck around and find out" territory.
It's one thing for SteamDeck to double as a PC for you to do whatever you want with it, it's another thing for Steam to host an app on their storefront meant for running a competitors software. No shit there is not any Nintendo software in the emulator, you can stop calling people dumb for not recognizing this, we all get it. It's not our fault that your understanding of the nuance of the situation ends with that question (which nobody ever asked and does not dictate whether this is a big deal or not).
The implication is "Hey this plays Wii software, just make sure you only play fan-made Wii software and we're good, wink-wink" coming straight from the STEAM storefront. Yeah, that's why we're worried about laws getting changed here, and it being "fuck around and find out" territory.
ozz ex machina
Member
Sure they were... lol. Shittest console that gen by a mile.
diffusionx
Gold Member
You really think it is a "gray area" to sell other peoples' games without their permission?
Killer8
Member
Hypothetically, what difference is there between an emulator being available on Steam and being available as a download on Github?
Both are executing the same code. Both contain none of the source code of the original console. Both are not being sold for profit. Both do not contain any ROMs. The Github release is legally acceptable and has been available for over a decade. It can't be taken down.
Why is it suddenly a massive issue to be distributing it via Steam, when for all intents and purposes this is an identical release in terms of code and legality? The only difference is that it becomes marginally easier for people to discover it and download it - but there is nothing in the law that says that the legal status of emulator software hinges on those two factors needing to be made as obscure as possible for the end user.
Both are executing the same code. Both contain none of the source code of the original console. Both are not being sold for profit. Both do not contain any ROMs. The Github release is legally acceptable and has been available for over a decade. It can't be taken down.
Why is it suddenly a massive issue to be distributing it via Steam, when for all intents and purposes this is an identical release in terms of code and legality? The only difference is that it becomes marginally easier for people to discover it and download it - but there is nothing in the law that says that the legal status of emulator software hinges on those two factors needing to be made as obscure as possible for the end user.
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01011001
Banned
Retroarch has been on Steam for a while now tho
nothing reall happened with that so far
diffusionx
Gold Member
The concept that you can reverse engineer another piece of hardware and even legally sell it is totally enshrined in law. I recommend you go back and look at how Sony fought the commercial PSX emulators in the late 1990s. In both cases, the courts actually sided with the emu makers, but they lost the lawfare battle because Sony had more resources. And these were cases where like, you went to GameStop and there was the Sony PlayStation for sale, and PlayStation games, then on another shelf there was this emu you could buy lol that ran the same games. This, we are talking about a piece of software to run 10-20 year old games. It's not an issue. The law isn't going to change.
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theclaw135
Banned
Nintendo has been commercially using emulation since, gee, as far back as Pokemon Stadium!
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01011001
Banned
was that an emulator or did the adapter have GB hardware?
gradient
Resident Cheap Arse
No, they haven't.
Emulators have skirted by on an increasingly shaky premise of being primarily intended for functions that are not piracy. Moving into the realm of being endorsed and distributed by a major player who offers additional functionality to enhance their use on a piece of hardware that is clearly designed after the competitor who's product they are enabling piracy for is a whole different ballgame.
Worse, this isn't the early 2000's any more where people could argue that old software had no value for the developer and publisher. Digital stores exist now to sell these games proving the financial viability of the old games and providing a basis for demonstrable financial loss. Physical releases of old games prove a continued consumer interest that goes beyond retro nerds and conservationists. The industry has made efforts not only to monetize their old IP and games, but also to remove the accessibility argument and demonstrate continued value (and subsequent loss via piracy).
Emulators get by by pretending to be intended for something other than what they are primarily (99.999%) used for. Their existence as a means of enabling theft was already getting difficult with the change in the market and the increased market value and availability via legal channels of old games in the modern market. Having a large corp facilitating piracy will bring a spotlight on a scene that can ill afford the attention nor hold out the same "legit use" arguments when faced with the kind of analytics that having their tool on a service such as steam will bring.
Emulators are the squatters of the gaming world. Like squatters they have rights based on the idea that they "could" have a legitimate basis for doing what they do, and if they keep it low key then the status quo remains. But you can be damn sure that when it becomes too big an issue, becomes too visible, numerous and prolific, or just messes with the wrong money, then the perspective changes and with it laws change too.
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Stop.
Jesus, look at the at examples I gave you, 2 were commercial PS1 emulators for PC and Dreamcast where Sony went after them and lost on ALL charges.
Old software? Sony was still selling and developing games for the PS1, hell Bleem even released a commercial emulator that ran GT2 on Dreamcast a game that was released less than one year earlier and the court even ruled that they could use screenshots from the game to market it. Yet it was less of a problem compared to an emulator for a system that was discontinued 10 years ago?
Big? You can easily find multiple COMMERCIAL emulators on the Play Store with upwards of 1 MILLION downloads, you think that's not big? Is a storefront like the Play Store smaller than Steam?
Stop spreading this FUD, emulators were declared legal ages ago, they are not squatters, they are not some grey market and they haven't operated on any kind of shaky premise. They are legal software and no amount of forced analytics (which Steam doesn't even force any additional analytics, so I can't even get that argument) or Nintendo fueled FUD is going to change that.
Emulation and the laws that protect it extends way beyond video games, no government in the world will enact laws that could have major consequences to software they themselves use, it's not going to happen and it sure as hell won't happen just because one more emulator get on a storefront.
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Flutta
Banned
Asking for a lawsuit between Gabe and Nintendo?Put Yuzu on it too to extra fuck with Nintendo
darrylgorn
Banned
gradient
Resident Cheap Arse
You really have your head in the sand don't you?
When the shit kicks up, it's won't be Valve taking the legal hits. Valve see this as nothing more than an opportunity to exploit something for their own financial gain. When the shit kicks up, it won't be them fighting for the continued legality of emulators, they'll fold in a heartbeat and pull any and all contentious software from their store, happy with the additional steam deck units they sold and the market share they managed steal.
Why won't they fight? - because it's a really, REALLY bad look for a business that is based around selling games and which assures it's partners of it's anti-piracy stance via the contract and software protections it puts in place, to be seen to be advocating for and promoting tools that are easily proven to be primarily used for piracy. They will cut any liability loose and I wouldn't even put it past them to support any action against the emulators as a means of saving face. And that includes giving up all of the analytics and details of users of said emulators and the pirated software that Valve KNOWS they were playing.
The Emulator devs? - fucked. Valve isn't paying their legal bills. Valve isn't falling on their sword to protect them. Best case scenario - the laws don't change, but the makers are driven into financial obvlivion and get to spend years of their lives rehashing a legal battle that big corps are happy to drag out for as long as it takes.
The 99.999% of emulator users - people who steal, self-reporting by using it via a highly monitored and trackable service. Big brain energy from them, largely driven by the idiotic complacency and mis-directed moral belief that they are totally legal and not at all open to prosecution should a big corp go on a legal rampage and happen to gather details of piracy from a certain service that said users volunteered their details and rights to. Best case scenario - the emulators remain legal, but that's not going to help the dipshits pirating with them. I know "blah blah blah - legal if I own a copy" - you don't. And even if you did, downloading a copy from the internet doesn't fall into the same provision. You need to rip your own copy. And you didn't.
The 0.001% of Emulator users who actually use it for legal purposes - well, they get to watch as development of the emulator gets killed by court cases and the devs are tied up in legal hell for years. Great result.
You see, you don't have to change the law to kill emulation. You just have to make it more trouble than it's worth for the developers. Legal action can kill the development of a project for years. It can ruin the lives of the people behind the project. It can make examples of the little people who stupidly thought they were safe pirating because some muppet told them emulators were legal like it was some magic legal catch all.
Putting a spotlight on emulation brings that attention. Valve doesn't give a shit - they're just in it for the market share.
A tool, even one that is legal, can find itself on the wrong side of the legal system where it's usage and purpose can be proven to be primarily motivated and driven by illegal activity. Just because it is safe now doesn't mean it is forever safe. Money, Market and Influence move mountains.
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I don't have it I'm using previous cases to prove my point, but you keep sticking your head in it for some reason, maybe to drink some of Nintendo FUD.
Emulators are legal now and will be in the future. I won't say anything else, I expect an apology in writing 5 years from now when absolutely nothing will change and Nintendo will stay still because they have no case and if they wanted to make it "more trouble than it's worth for the developers" don't you think they would have target projects like Yuzu, Ryujix, CEmu or Cidra or do you think they aren't fully aware of their existence by now?
Emulation already has a spotlight, again it's already on Steam with RetroArch and on even bigger stores like the Google Play Store, which already has Dolphin for ages.
But anyway, don't have too much fun in the mean time, or Nintendo might go after you.
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gradient
Resident Cheap Arse
FUD is a term I see crypto currency bros throwing around whenever their shitcoin of choice is headed on the inevitable downward trajectory they were certain would never happen because "it's always gone up". I'm not surprised that you keep parroting it.
As expected. You dodge the implications as your understanding and grasp of emulation and piracy extends to "I herd it wuz legal and wot wuz legal will be forevah". You ignore the legal implications for developers and end users, avoid the financial risks, and diusplay no grasp of the data harvesting and exposure posed to end users.
Do yourself a favor, look up the countries that have legislation around circumvention of copyright.
Contrary to your limited grasp of the subject, emulation remains an incredibly convoluted legal area that rests on a rather precarious stand-off between the emulator devs and the game publishers. By and large the pubs leave the emu devs alone and instead are content to stamp on the rom distribution lines, while the emu devs have typically been keen to keep their heads down and shut down all talk of piracy and roms on their official channels so as not to rock the boat. Why? because it's all still up in the damned air and while the status quo exists neither side want to risk really testing the waters. Circumvention of copyright and the facilitation thereof is a monster that has grown considerably in the past 2 decades.
I bet you thought emulating a game was legal if you downloaded a copy of a game that you own. I bet you never even considered that the hardware required to rip games is illegal in some countries where emulators are legal, but downloading roms is illegal, thus creating a legal trap of sorts. I'll even wager that you didn't realize that simply backing up your own game is illegal in many places unless you can prove it was "neccesary".
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I keep parroting because in the same post you say it's not legal, but even if it is legal Nintendo will bankrupt the devs because they flew too close to the sun, and they will also be coming for you!!! Forgive me for calling FUD what it is, FUD. And no I don't own any crypto.
Limited grasp? Give me a break, you have multiple court cases determining software emulation as legal for video games and in general, you have third party video game compilations being sold on multiple platforms that use software emulation, you have commercial emulators being sold on Google Play a store front much much larger than Steam, software emulators that openly advertise their patreon and proudly proclaim to run the lastest games on Twitter and Youtube with thousand of views.
Oh but it's one more emulator being on Steam that's gonna rock the boat and make the sky fall down... thanks for the laugh mate, again I'll see you in 5 years, I expect that apology in writing, you better start it.
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gradient
Resident Cheap Arse
No, you keep parroting it because it's the internet equivalent of sticking your fingers in your ears and yelling "lalala! I can't hear you" when faced with something that contradicts what you've blindly bought into.
You avoid the implications, be it legal or financial, to all parties involved because you haven't considered them and the mere possibility of them contradicts that narrow little view of the law you have which has the legal position fall neatly into a simple "yes/no now and forever" bucket you've convinced yourself exists. Law is seldom, if ever, so clean cut and is in itself a constantly evolving mess of contradicting legislation that is constantly tested and challenged. Hell, even the laws you're trying to hang off are nuanced and nowhere near as clear cut as you'd like to believe - just the right to backup your games has caveats and varies wildly across different countries.
Remind us all, how did the makers of Bleem fare from that legal battle?... where is Bleem today? I notice that while you're eager to cite them as a point in your favor, you avoid the ultimate outcome of that battle and a point I've already made and which you've tried to dismiss as "FUD". The legal battle killed them. But like I said, you have your head in the sand and don't have any grasp of the subject or implications. Bleem got popular, Bleem went mainstream, Bleem got hit with legal action, Bleem died. And all the while there were ignorant fools like yourself telling everyone that the threat is all just "FUD" (the 90's equivalent escapes me) and later trying to console themselves with the "Win" that resulted in the death of the emulator, the fall of the company behind it, and set emulation back into the shadows for years to come.
This is what winning looks like:
Oh... and they had to change that image shortly after posting it to their website for fear of further legal action.
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The 90s equivalent to FUD is... FUD. It was famously used by Microsoft internally in the anti competitive trials, it's not a nu-term from crypto bros.
Funny, the law is vague and uncertain, yet I gave 4 example of software emulation winning in court, it should be easy for you to find the opposite, no?
I don't keep parroting Bleem, I gave 4 examples, Bleem is the only one that faced bankrupcy. Good luck for Nintendo to try and do to every Dolphin contributor.
Funny, the law is vague and uncertain, yet I gave 4 example of software emulation winning in court, it should be easy for you to find the opposite, no?
I don't keep parroting Bleem, I gave 4 examples, Bleem is the only one that faced bankrupcy. Good luck for Nintendo to try and do to every Dolphin contributor.
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diffusionx
Gold Member
tell it to a judge lol
But seriously, a reverse-engineered emulator has violated nobody's copyright, it's just a piece of software that can run another piece of software. This is absolutely bog standard computing and you can't stop anyone from doing it without violating their rights. By definition, in a situation where nobody's copyrights have been violated, nobody has any standing to stop the emulator from being made or distributed. it doesn't matter how people use it, quite frankly. This is like how for a long time, marijuana was absolutely totally illegal yet every single mall in America had shops with bongs and hookahs. Everyone knew what they were used for, but bongs and hookahs were not illegal and nobody could shut down the stores.
GametimeUK
Member
I hope it fixes the performance issues on Steam Deck. The Last time I tested it there wad a load of stutter. I really didn't want to install something like Decky to fix it.
amigastar
Member
It reaches more people, probably.
Better Steam Deck support.
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Holammer
Gold Member
theclaw135
Banned
No, you keep parroting it because it's the internet equivalent of sticking your fingers in your ears and yelling "lalala! I can't hear you" when faced with something that contradicts what you've blindly bought into.
You avoid the implications, be it legal or financial, to all parties involved because you haven't considered them and the mere possibility of them contradicts that narrow little view of the law you have which has the legal position fall neatly into a simple "yes/no now and forever" bucket you've convinced yourself exists. Law is seldom, if ever, so clean cut and is in itself a constantly evolving mess of contradicting legislation that is constantly tested and challenged. Hell, even the laws you're trying to hang off are nuanced and nowhere near as clear cut as you'd like to believe - just the right to backup your games has caveats and varies wildly across different countries.
Remind us all, how did the makers of Bleem fare from that legal battle?... where is Bleem today? I notice that while you're eager to cite them as a point in your favor, you avoid the ultimate outcome of that battle and a point I've already made and which you've tried to dismiss as "FUD". The legal battle killed them. But like I said, you have your head in the sand and don't have any grasp of the subject or implications. Bleem got popular, Bleem went mainstream, Bleem got hit with legal action, Bleem died. And all the while there were ignorant fools like yourself telling everyone that the threat is all just "FUD" (the 90's equivalent escapes me) and later trying to console themselves with the "Win" that resulted in the death of the emulator, the fall of the company behind it, and set emulation back into the shadows for years to come.
This is what winning looks like:
Oh... and they had to change that image shortly after posting it to their website for fear of further legal action.
Oh please. Then how did Nintendo get away with Animal Crossing's NES games, or Metroid Prime and Zero Mission including the original Metroid? What about the Virtual Console? Selling NES games on eReader cards?
I take it you have an explanation for PS3 playing PS1 games too. All the compilations of Sonic, Mega Man, Street Fighter...
jshackles
Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
Others have mentioned this but:
1) Steam Cloud save syncing. If you use Dolphin on multiple machines, it'll copy over your save games and configuration automatically. It's also a true backup, meaning if you have to reload your PC (or you buy a new one), you can just download Steam and Dolphin, and continue where you left off without any additional configuration.
2) Steam will automatically push the newest builds of the emulator to users. You won't have to go and download the latest version to get the bugfixes and such.
3) Reaching a wider audience. Compatibility with the Steam Deck. Etc.
Nothing mindblowing here, and you could technically set all this stuff up yourself. But having a one-click install greatly lowers the barrier for entry.
Gamerfan81
Member
I admit I'm not that well versed in copyright law, including emulation, but from numerous court cases it seems legal for now, but laws are always subject to change.
But, here's a scenario:
Let's say Steam pushes the envelope further and allows emulators that can play Switch games and say allow a brand new emulator in its store that can play all of Nintendo's next generation games when the Switch 2 or whatever newest hardware Nintendo comes up with. Will they have a clear cut winning case if Nintendo takes legal action? They also have the financial means to fight Nintendo's lawyers.
But, here's a scenario:
Let's say Steam pushes the envelope further and allows emulators that can play Switch games and say allow a brand new emulator in its store that can play all of Nintendo's next generation games when the Switch 2 or whatever newest hardware Nintendo comes up with. Will they have a clear cut winning case if Nintendo takes legal action? They also have the financial means to fight Nintendo's lawyers.
Dirk Benedict
Member
I'm doing it RN! as a fucking GCN owner.
BlackTron
Member
lol he came in with actual thoughtful arguments and you came back with "OH YEAH! Well then, explain how Nintendo got away with selling their OWN GAME!"
This distills your take down to "Nintendo got away with using emulators to sell their own software, therefore, there is a legal precedent for anyone to use emulators for any software they wish"
Honestly, just get out of the conversation, you are wasting time.
BlackTron
Member
Steam would not be bold enough to try it. If they had an app on their storefront that played Switch titles. Believe me. Nintendo would be ready to fight. Heads would roll over this. What they have currently done, is a dangerous escalation. Because think about it. It does play "Switch games" like the old version of Metroid Prime. Or what about all the stuff on their sub service you can already emulate in Retroarch on Steam. Some stuff gets so old, and you can't police the entire world. But how new can the content get, and how official can the channels be that you acquire the tools to run it, before a line gets crossed? (Ask Bleem, I guess).
Previously there was this "legal equilibrium" or "homestasis" where both "sides" were okay with what the other could get away with. If they ask for $100 games, we bitch right? Well, we can also expect and ask for too much, and find out the hard way. And Steam is accelerating that path for their own benefit. To the detriment of just about everyone else.
Topher
Identifies as young
What's really silly about all this to me is that obviously Nintendo and others are missing out on a pretty big market for old games. Just make your own emulator and sell the roms (with DRM) so people have ways to legally play these games rather than letting them die out. Personally I wouldn't have a problem whatsoever ever paying for something like that.
Yeah, that's true, but at the same time I think that is entirely due to threat of legal action from Nintendo. I don't think any of this has been tested in courts as none of these sites have the resources to challenge Nintendo. Not that I think they would win, but at the same time I don't think these are laws that copyright owners want tested either. I think a good argument can be made that making personal copies of legally obtained software should be legal (and not actively prevented with DRM) even if mass distribution of that software is not. That, to me, is a bit of a gray area. Similar to how in some areas growing Marijuana is legal but selling it is not.
/taking off fake lawyer hat
Yeah, that's true, but at the same time I think that is entirely due to threat of legal action from Nintendo. I don't think any of this has been tested in courts as none of these sites have the resources to challenge Nintendo. Not that I think they would win, but at the same time I don't think these are laws that copyright owners want tested either. I think a good argument can be made that making personal copies of legally obtained software should be legal (and not actively prevented with DRM) even if mass distribution of that software is not. That, to me, is a bit of a gray area. Similar to how in some areas growing Marijuana is legal but selling it is not.
/taking off fake lawyer hat
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