(12-10-2009, 05:47 PM)dstruct2k Wrote: Obtaining a backup of any game you own (the means are unimportant) is not illegal. Sharing it to people that don't own it is. While you may ban people on the forums for talking about downloading games, the fact remains that downloading an ISO of a game you already own is not actually a breach of copyright. Whoever's sharing it is the one doing something wrong.
But, downloading the DVD5 copy is actally illegal for anyone, as nobody owns that copy of the game, because it was never produced. Its very creation was a breach of copyright. ("Do not modify...")
In the US, the only way to make a backup without making yourself open to a copyright suit is ripping it yourself.
And it's legal for people in certain countries to download the DVD5 copy as long as they don't share it with others.
But it still stands: Why are we allowed to talk about illegal activities that we may have done, but are not allowed to casually mention if we pirated something?