gbadev.org forum archive

This is a read-only mirror of the content originally found on forum.gbadev.org (now offline), salvaged from Wayback machine copies. A new forum can be found here.

Beginners > Legality of making homebrew games available? [Renamed]

#91316 - king501 - Thu Jul 06, 2006 8:23 am

Is it legal to publish some gba demos on a website and make them public? Let’s suppose I create a personnal GBA game and offer the rom on my website, will Nintendo sue me or something like that?

#91324 - xproductions - Thu Jul 06, 2006 10:09 am

How do you think GBADEV didn't get shut down? Of course it's legal.
_________________
If you would not be forgotten
as soon as you are dead and rotten,
either write things worth reading
or do things worth writing.

-- Benjamin Franklin

#91447 - Lynx - Fri Jul 07, 2006 6:23 am

As long as the ROM and all of it's contents are legal.. :)
_________________
NDS Homebrew Roms & Reviews

#93775 - sgeos - Fri Jul 21, 2006 5:38 am

The answer is pretty simple:
A) Your contents are legal and unthreatening. -> Nothing happens
B) Your contents are illegal and under the radar OR unthreatening. -> Nothing happens
C) Your contents are legal and threatening. -> You'll probably receive a groundless cease and disist letter
D) You contents are illegal and worth paying attention to. -> You'll be shut down.

PDROMs falls under A (probably). Starmen.net is a B. Don't know of any Cs, as they probably fold. Commercial ROM sites are Ds.

Even if you steal graphics (not a good idea) and make a free demo, chances are fair that you won't be bothered even though the copyright holders can shut you down. As long as you know that there is a line in the sand, if you are careful you won't step over it. (And if you do it won't be in a big way.)

-Brendan

#93777 - Dwedit - Fri Jul 21, 2006 5:49 am

Remember, the big N goes after people who distribute DONKEY KONG. They don't care about any games other than their old first party games,
_________________
"We are merely sprites that dance at the beck and call of our button pressing overlord."

#93779 - sgeos - Fri Jul 21, 2006 6:19 am

They care about anything they think they can make money from. Nintendo certain isn't going to do anything if you pirate one of Capcom's games. (Nor am I sure that they really can).

-Brendan