Thoughts on morality/legality of selling boards with alternate ROMs

slseed1969

Member

Donor 2016
Joined
Dec 4, 2016
Messages
33
Reaction score
8
Location
Lake Balboa, California
Thoughts on morality/legality of selling boards with alternate ROMs

I'm curious what KLOV members think about the morality or legality of selling boards/board sets that have replacement ROMs that have been freshly burned and may not be from the original game. For example, if someone sold a board originally from Joust with non-original Robotron ROMs would anyone have a problem with that? If you were buying a board is there any way to even know the ROMs don't match? Is it even legal to sell boards with non-original ROMs?
 
This thread should be moved to either the General or the Chat about Anything thread. Doesn't belong in Restoration.
 
I'm curious what KLOV members think about the morality or legality of selling boards/board sets that have replacement ROMs that have been freshly burned and may not be from the original game. For example, if someone sold a board originally from Joust with non-original Robotron ROMs would anyone have a problem with that? If you were buying a board is there any way to even know the ROMs don't match? Is it even legal to sell boards with non-original ROMs?

Well when you buy a board, you're an owner. I assume the roms are part of the board so if you reburn them yourself I doubt anyone will care seeing as williams isn't going to make them. No one cares as long as the board works really.
 
So I guess there is no inherent collectable value in the original ROM chips when restoring a game since the code can be copied to new chips. No one would have an issue with rewriting the Joust chips with Robotron (as an example - I'm not actually planning on this).
 
So I guess there is no inherent collectable value in the original ROM chips when restoring a game since the code can be copied to new chips. No one would have an issue with rewriting the Joust chips with Robotron (as an example - I'm not actually planning on this).
Correct. It is a non-issue and has been done since these games first came out.
 
Correct. It is a non-issue and has been done since these games first came out.

the Williams games shared a few different generations of boards that could run multiple games. it's encouraged to just swap boards between them for diagnostic purposes. :p

Williams/WMS isn't losing any money off it. the game was already sold once, right?

because of the ease of being able to change games however led to a variety of copy protection schemes on games years later. enjoy the capability.
 
Wha?

go-to-hell-300x164.jpg
 
I don't think most people care one way or the other.

Of course, if it's a rare board or the seller is misleading about it then that would be another thing.
 
Back
Top Bottom