Scotty
Member
This goes all the way back to the early 80s. I am not a lawyer and I dont even play one on TV, but I have to ask.... Why were games like Hangly-Man, Piranha, Maze Man, New-Puck-X, New Puck2 etc... classified as bootlegs or illegal? First of all.... They were rom swaps. They were not an illegally copied board and source code. The only exception might be Pirahna as it was produced in a dedicated cabinet. The rest needed a dedicated machine. Namco or Midway already made their money on selling the machine to the arcade operator. The operator OWNS the machine. It is his to do with what he wants. If he wants to set it on fire, push it out a 5th floor window, or tie it to the back of a truck and drive it down the street, he bought it, he owns it, IT IS HIS!! A small group of hackers creates a modified chip(s) that can be added to the machine to enhance the game. HE OWNS IT!
Is Ford and GM going after end users or JC Whitneys or Summit Racing for making and selling enhanced parts to modify a Corvette or a Mustang? Are they suing Sony and JVC because they make radio's that replace the original equipment?
The same holds true with General Computer when they made the Super Missle Attack upgrade for Missle Command. Atari took them to court. FOR WHAT?!!! The arcade operator already bought the machine from Atari. It is his to do what he wants!!!!
Now an all-out bootleg is another story. If a game has a bootleg PC board (not manufactured by the Original manufacturer), that is another story. That would be like pirated DVDs or CDs.
I always liked New-Puck-X and Hangly-Man. They were more challenging and added a new twist to a game that started showing its age. In my opinion, it actually HELPED Pac-Man, as it extended its life by giving more life to a fading game.
The floor is open for discussion.
Is Ford and GM going after end users or JC Whitneys or Summit Racing for making and selling enhanced parts to modify a Corvette or a Mustang? Are they suing Sony and JVC because they make radio's that replace the original equipment?
The same holds true with General Computer when they made the Super Missle Attack upgrade for Missle Command. Atari took them to court. FOR WHAT?!!! The arcade operator already bought the machine from Atari. It is his to do what he wants!!!!
Now an all-out bootleg is another story. If a game has a bootleg PC board (not manufactured by the Original manufacturer), that is another story. That would be like pirated DVDs or CDs.
I always liked New-Puck-X and Hangly-Man. They were more challenging and added a new twist to a game that started showing its age. In my opinion, it actually HELPED Pac-Man, as it extended its life by giving more life to a fading game.
The floor is open for discussion.
