What Is Abandonware, Exactly?
But that may not be the case with abandonware.
One reason might be it would cost them money to enforce the copyright with no clear benefit.
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Whatever the reason, though, abandonware remains under copyright protection.
Examples include freeware licenses,open sourcelicenses, andCreative Commons licenses.
Additionally, abandonware is not software that has passed into thepublic domain.
Disney famously built its empire by creating films based on public domain stories.
Abandonware isn’t limited to video games, though.
Old operating systems such as Windows 3.1 can be included too, and even old versions of productivity software.
You’ll find all of that and more in online abandonware repositories.
Another common claim is that abandonware doesn’t directly harm the copyright holder.
Is It Legal to Download Abandonware?
So if you download abandonware, are you committing a crime?
In most cases, though, hosting abandonware is considered illegal.
Regardless of the specific circumstances, there’s no getting around this simple fact.
Historically speaking, copyright infringement in the case of abandonware has rarely been pursued in court.
However, it only applies to the act of preserving the software, not distributing it.
Even if you don’t profit from it, copying and sharing abandonware still counts as copyright infringement.
Should You Download Abandonware?
However, there’s more to consider than just the legal implications.
For one thing, you have to think about security.
The lack of regulation makes abandonware a field ripe for abuse.
Related:10 Ways to Game on a Low (or Zero) Budget
