<
https://www.techdirt.com/2024/10/30/vghf-libraries-lose-again-on-dmca-exemption-request-to-preserve-old-video-games/>
"Another lobbyist win over common sense, it seems. Earlier this year, we
discussed a group of video game preservationists, led by the Video Game History
Foundation, seeking DMCA exemptions that would allow groups to curate,
preserve, and make available for streaming antiquated video games for purposes
of study. The chief opposition to the request came from the Electronic Software
Association (ESA), a lobbying group that has staunchly opposed any carveouts in
copyright law that would allow for these sorts of preservation and study
efforts.
Now, if there was one key takeaway from that last post, it’s the following. The
ESA and groups like it are very good at saying “no”, but absolutely terrible at
providing any alternatives it would support for doing this sort of preservation
work. The video game space is one in which the overwhelming majority of titles
published have not been preserved in any meaningful way. If those titles are
allowed to simply disappear into the ether, it is a flat negation of the
bargain that is copyright law to begin with, which is for a limited monopoly on
creative output with that output eventually going into the public domain.
Disappeared content cannot enter the public domain.
Unfortunately, thanks to those lobbying efforts that offer all roadblocks and
no solutions, the US Copyright Office has denied once again the request for
these copyright carveouts."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
