The Cover Project
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Aganar on June 08, 2009, 11:22:00 PM
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Not to knock this site in any way--I am incredibly grateful for the numerous scans and uploads that have allowed me to store my GBA and console games in awesome ways. But I was just looking at a guide for how to spot bootleg DS games (I myself having been a victim of some GBA pirates in the past), and one of the first thing they mention is blurry looking fronts, backs, cart labels, etc. It strikes me that while we're not necessary facilitating bootlegging, in that they would persist with or without our help, providing high-quality scans of DS inserts and cart labels probably makes it that much easier for them.
Oh well!
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Yup that may be the case but what can we do? We could make our site private and invitation based only but would you want that?
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I don't think I would have been able to use this site if that were the case, but on the other hand, a few months back we had that person posting porn on the boards....maybe there is a happy medium somewhere
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There is always going to be an opportunity for a bootlegger to get hold of the tools they need to sell their wares. I don't think a site like this encourages or even particularly makes it easier. The majority of our stuff is for out of print/not current systems. Also most will have an original to work with anyway, so our site is of little interest to them.
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I like things how they are now, besides we don't know that bootleggers are using any of the covers here, I've seen other posts where people assume the same thing. Either way you just have to take the good with the bad sometimes.
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I wouldn't worry about it. There are plenty of other sites out there that host covers, and they often specifically target bootleggers, pirates, etc. (AllCDCovers.com and CDcovers.cc are just the tip of the iceberg when I do a Google Search.) If we were to suddenly become private or whatever, then the bootleggers would have plenty of alternatives (given, they won't be better alternatives, considering many of those types of sites rarely highlight the need for high res covers) while legitimate cover-ers would have to deal with red tape and road blocks just to do what they want to do.
Long story short, making the site private would be punishing everybody for the deeds of a few.
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Similar issues have come up in the past. I still support the storage of current game covers and labels, but I think there should be a period of like 6 months from release before the cover is available to download. CD/DVD/cart labels should wait until the console is no longer being produced.
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Similar issues have come up in the past. I still support the storage of current game covers and labels, but I think there should be a period of like 6 months from release before the cover is available to download. CD/DVD/cart labels should wait until the console is no longer being produced.
that's actually a great idea.
I mean seriously who needs a cover of a game they just bought?
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Similar issues have come up in the past. I still support the storage of current game covers and labels, but I think there should be a period of like 6 months from release before the cover is available to download. CD/DVD/cart labels should wait until the console is no longer being produced.
that's actually a great idea.
I mean seriously who needs a cover of a game they just bought?
Cheapasses like me who buy used :D
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Yeah, there is at least one case I remember where I bought a fairly new game at a flea market that was just the disc. Dunno how he got it, but I wasn't going to argue with getting a brand new game for $20.
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i quite often get hold of PS3 stuff which is disc only - and fairly new releases. I suppose PS3 isn't such a concern at the moment though, as it's not been hacked (yet)
edit: anyone else notice that covergalaxy doesn't have a PS3 section yet??
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edit: anyone else notice that covergalaxy doesn't have a PS3 section yet??
Maybe there is no demand.... ;D
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edit: anyone else notice that covergalaxy doesn't have a PS3 section yet??
Maybe there is no demand.... ;D
Or perhaps they are as confused as to what the proper dimensions for a PS3 cover should be as we are.
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We shouldn't punish our community because of the actions of a few, especially considering these actions are pure speculation. We don't even have any evidence that our site is being used in this way!
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We shouldn't punish our community because of the actions of a few, especially considering these actions are pure speculation. We don't even have any evidence that our site is being used in this way!
Yes there is also no evidence that a custom firmware of a PSP id used for playing isos or that a flashed 360 harddrive is used for playing burned discs.... ;D
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We shouldn't punish our community because of the actions of a few, especially considering these actions are pure speculation. We don't even have any evidence that our site is being used in this way!
Yes there is also no evidence that a custom firmware of a PSP id used for playing isos or that a flashed 360 harddrive is used for playing burned discs.... ;D
I think you mean a flashed DVD drive tik ;)
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Can't be helped. Plus I've never been able to understand why people feel the need to 'combat' piracy or whatever in the hopes it might make industry regulatory lobby groups more easy on them.
Hate to break it to you all, but they could shut this website down in a heartbeat - even if you didn't have Xbox 360 or PS3 covers. The boxart we're putting up on the site - whether it's NES, SNES, N64, Mega Drive, Saturn, or whatever - is copyrighted.
I'll quote this from somebody on the MAME chat forums:
http://www.mameworld.info/ubbthreads/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Board=mamechat&Number=179184&Forum=All_Forums&Words=Edge%20Magazine&Match=Entire%20Phrase&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&Old=allposts&Main=179162&Search=true#Post179184
On one thing you said in the article, it's definitely not a grey area. Box art, ROM / CD / HDD data, manuals, etc are all most definitely copyrighted material, and in many countries (especially Western countries) the current law is very clear about what this means and the potential penalties for breaking copyright. If the copyright holder doesn't give a shit about preserving something, then that is their choice and it doesn't diminish their rights to the copyright. And, if the copyright holders cannot give a shit about making money off something they own, then there is little chance that they would be interested in funding its preservation.
No matter how much everyone here wants to see stuff preserved (including me, especially me !), it doesn't change the current laws or the potential penalties.
So let's just continue on what we're doing and not worry about the legal ramifications or if (and only 'if') pirates in Hong Kong are making the most out of it. If you're worried about that kind of stuff - well, don't publish it on the Internet. It's just like a tool - a knife or a gun for instance - it can be used for bad or it can be used for good. I think we're most definitely using it for good - and I don't see any official 'industry' organization going to the trouble of scanning in boxart from old, dusty games, so I'm pretty sure we're doing someone a favour in the long run.
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Yeah, I guess this place could be shut-down on the whim of any company...
The only thing really protecting us is MAD, in the form of negative PR. If any company were to try to shut us down for doing something that only helps out other games, the PR would be devastatingly bad. Only problem with that is, Activision seems to feed off of the negative emotions of gamers.
http://kotaku.com/5070799/activision-cock+blocking-brutal-legend-release
http://kotaku.com/5279036/activision-sues-brutal-legend-devs-to-halt-release
http://kotaku.com/370013/activision-force-sierra-to-sing-for-their-supper
http://kotaku.com/5281271/activision-ceo-unhappy-no-console-price-chop-announced
Whether its killing off classic Sierra franchises, dropping interesting games because they can't be 'exploited on a yearly basis', or telling the big three to drop their prices while still charging $60 for the next Guitar Hero re-skin, Activision could have their eyes on us next...
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We shouldn't punish our community because of the actions of a few, especially considering these actions are pure speculation. We don't even have any evidence that our site is being used in this way!
Yes there is also no evidence that a custom firmware of a PSP id used for playing isos or that a flashed 360 harddrive is used for playing burned discs.... ;D
I think you mean a flashed DVD drive tik ;)
Jup.... My bad.... Didn't read my post twice...