Spam Spam Spam Humbug: Episode 27 – DMCA Exemptions & Game Preservation

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It would be all but impossible to capture the boisterousness and comedy of this episode in the show notes here, so instead I’m just going to include the framing of the discussion, namely the changes to the DMCA rules made this year (as in, within the last month). You can find the complete text of the changes here: Library of Congress 2015 DMCA 1201 Rules.

And here’s the EFF’s take: Victory for Users: Librarian of Congress Renews and Expands Protections for Fair Uses

The Librarian granted part of EFF’s new proposal for an exemption to preserve abandoned video games. The new exemption allows players to modify their copy of a game to eliminate the need for an authentication server after the original server is shut down. Museums, libraries, and archives can go a step further and jailbreak game consoles as needed to get the games working again. Disappointingly, the Librarian limited the exemption to games that can’t be played at all after a server shutdown, excluding games where only the online multiplayer features are lost. Still, this exemption will help keep many classic and beloved video games playable by future generations.

Where do the various members of the SSSH crew stand on this issue? Well, we’re certainly not of one mind about it…but you’ll have to listen to the episode to get the full picture. And as a bonus, we were even joined by Joe Garrity for this one; as something of a preserver of game history himself, this is an issue he had quite a lot to say about.

Listen to the Episode

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(Image credit: Media Law Monitor)