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General discussion (archive)Legal stuff regarding DOS games(21 posts)solved(21 posts)solved
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Posted January 06, 2014
Hi everyone! I've asked GOG staff about this, but they're still keeping silence for some reason). I'm a lucky owner of 486DX4 PC, so I don't need any of them DOSboxes for sure. So there's a question: is it legal to delete all DOSbox- (and maybe GOG-related) stuff from installation (Duke Nukem 3D for example), repack it and store as zip-archive in my PC gaming base? Thank you!
This question / problem has been solved by 011284mmimage
Posted January 06, 2014
I don't see why not, you're paying for the game, not the dosbox.

As long as it's the first machine you're installing it to. I would guess anyway.
Post edited January 06, 2014 by pimpmonkey2382
Posted January 06, 2014
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alexnerd: Hi everyone! I've asked GOG staff about this, but they're still keeping silence for some reason). I'm a lucky owner of 486DX4 PC, so I don't need any of them DOSboxes for sure. So there's a question: is it legal to delete all DOSbox- (and maybe GOG-related) stuff from installation (Duke Nukem 3D for example), repack it and store as zip-archive in my PC gaming base? Thank you!
Don't see why not as u pay for one license and as long as its for personal (non commercial use - see legal docs)
Posted January 06, 2014
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pimpmonkey2382: As long as it's the first machine you're installing it to.
What do you mean? I can't have more than 1 copy installed?
Posted January 06, 2014
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pimpmonkey2382: As long as it's the first machine you're installing it to.
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alexnerd: What do you mean? I can't have more than 1 copy installed?
Havent read up on it but digital stuff usually limits it to one machine. Though gog might not restrict that, but other peoples computers would be a definite.
Posted January 06, 2014
Thanks everyone! All of this make sense, but software distribution rules can be so tricky and uneven...

Still hope for some GOG official to answer.
Posted January 06, 2014
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alexnerd: What do you mean? I can't have more than 1 copy installed?
No, you can install it on more than one computer. Here's what GOG wrote in their FAQ:

"9. Can I install one game both on my laptop and desktop computer at home?
Yes. We do not limit the number of installations or reinstallations, as long as you install your purchased games on computers in your household. So yeah, if you've got a render-farm in the basement, you might actually break the world record for the number of legal Fallout installations in one household. However, if you think about installing your game on a friend's machine or sharing it with others then please don't do it, okay?"
Post edited January 06, 2014 by PaterAlf
Posted January 06, 2014
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alexnerd: What do you mean? I can't have more than 1 copy installed?
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PaterAlf: No, you can install it on more than one computer. Here's what GOG writes in their FAQ:

"9. Can I install one game both on my laptop and desktop computer at home?
Yes. We do not limit the number of installations or reinstallations, as long as you install your purchased games on computers in your household. So yeah, if you've got a render-farm in the basement, you might actually break the world record for the number of legal Fallout installations in one household. However, if you think about installing your game on a friend's machine or sharing it with others then please don't do it, okay?"
Well said and I holy heartedly echo these sentiments.

Yes this is the honor system and I've yet to meet anyone in here without any of that (besides myself) so I trust the right thing will be done.
Posted January 06, 2014
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PaterAlf: No, you can install it on more than one computer. Here's what GOG writes in their FAQ:

"9. Can I install one game both on my laptop and desktop computer at home?
Yes. We do not limit the number of installations or reinstallations, as long as you install your purchased games on computers in your household. So yeah, if you've got a render-farm in the basement, you might actually break the world record for the number of legal Fallout installations in one household. However, if you think about installing your game on a friend's machine or sharing it with others then please don't do it, okay?"
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tinyE: Well said and I holy heartedly echo these sentiments.

Yes this is the honor system and I've yet to meet anyone in here without any of that (besides myself) so I trust the right thing will be done.
Agreed, though all of us who (proudly), support gog should abide by the terms.
Posted January 06, 2014
I agree with the others here.
GOG probably do not want to reply as this then sets a precedent they can be held against. The last thing they really need is someone who unpacks their games and then begins selling them on being able to say "you said _____ could".

Anyway, as long as it is for PERSONAL usage you have a license that states you can (within sensible reason) do what you will with you game, as you could with a CD copy of a game.
You can for example unpack the game from its DOSBox and then place it inside an Android DOSBox for your use.
You can unpack a game from DOSBox and ScummVM to run them hindrance free on a machine still capable of running the games "out of the box" so to speak.
You can even attempt to mod the games if you want. You own the right to treat them as if they were your toys.

The main things that your license does not allow you to do (this is not extensive);
- Share the games illegally with others. - It has been discussed (amongst GOG members) that letting siblings / parents / offspring within your home play your games is reasonable as you could do that with a CD, but really only one person should then use the license at a time (friends and family outside your own home are in the FAQ!).
- Reverse engineer the game. You have bought a single license to own a copy of game X. That does not give you the right to then reverse engineer the game and reproduce it, or steal its components to use without license.
- Sell. At the moment buying digital media is a rather ended process. Once bought you own a copy for yourself, which except for the return of the product under distance selling laws (or other such appropriate laws), you now have a non-transferable license.

EDITED ::: corrected some of my stupidity
Post edited January 06, 2014 by 011284mm
Posted January 06, 2014
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alexnerd: snip... is it legal to delete all DOSbox- (and maybe GOG-related) stuff from installation (Duke Nukem 3D for example), repack it and store as zip-archive in my PC gaming base? Thank you!
Technically no its not… the problem is that removing the dos-box would be considered hacking the game to remove its copy wright restrictions and that normally requires you to have a transcribed (very legally worded) agreement which spells out exactly what is happening with the game.

In practise, nobody gives a lollypop what you do in your own home with a game that you have legally purchased unless that somehow leads to other people playing the game without paying for it i.e. if you post an article at the local school which spells out how you bypassed the code and got it to work THEN yes you could indeed find some suits knocking on your front door.
Posted January 06, 2014
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alexnerd: snip... is it legal to delete all DOSbox- (and maybe GOG-related) stuff from installation (Duke Nukem 3D for example), repack it and store as zip-archive in my PC gaming base? Thank you!
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ussnorway: Technically no its not… the problem is that removing the dos-box would be considered hacking the game to remove its copy wright restrictions and that normally requires you to have a transcribed (very legally worded) agreement which spells out exactly what is happening with the game.

In practise, nobody gives a lollypop what you do in your own home with a game that you have legally purchased unless that somehow leads to other people playing the game without paying for it i.e. if you post an article at the local school which spells out how you bypassed the code and got it to work THEN yes you could indeed find some suits knocking on your front door.
I may be reading this incorrectly, but dosbox doesn't add any sort of DRM.
Posted January 06, 2014
By logic, DOSBox isn't the part of the game itself. But part of package they sold. Anyway, I'll do as I intended.

Thank you, people!
Posted January 06, 2014
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alexnerd: snip... is it legal to delete all DOSbox- (and maybe GOG-related) stuff from installation (Duke Nukem 3D for example), repack it and store as zip-archive in my PC gaming base? Thank you!
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ussnorway: Technically no its not… the problem is that removing the dos-box would be considered hacking the game to remove its copy wright restrictions and that normally requires you to have a transcribed (very legally worded) agreement which spells out exactly what is happening with the game.

In practise, nobody gives a lollypop what you do in your own home with a game that you have legally purchased unless that somehow leads to other people playing the game without paying for it i.e. if you post an article at the local school which spells out how you bypassed the code and got it to work THEN yes you could indeed find some suits knocking on your front door.
DosBox has nothing to do with copyright restrictions. It exists because Windows releases ceased being built on top of a DOS layer ever since they started basing it on the NT fork.
Posted January 06, 2014
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alexnerd: snip... is it legal to delete all DOSbox- (and maybe GOG-related) stuff from installation (Duke Nukem 3D for example), repack it and store as zip-archive in my PC gaming base? Thank you!
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ussnorway: Technically no its not… the problem is that removing the dos-box would be considered hacking the game to remove its copy wright restrictions and that normally requires you to have a transcribed (very legally worded) agreement which spells out exactly what is happening with the game.

In practise, nobody gives a lollypop what you do in your own home with a game that you have legally purchased unless that somehow leads to other people playing the game without paying for it i.e. if you post an article at the local school which spells out how you bypassed the code and got it to work THEN yes you could indeed find some suits knocking on your front door.
This is not correct.

Dosbox has nothing to do with copyright (not copy wright) and a transcribed agreement is not a "very legally worded" agreement. Transcribed just means it's a written copy of an oral statement.
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General discussion (archive)Legal stuff regarding DOS games(21 posts)solved(21 posts)solved
(21 posts)solved