> But if you own the game, does it matter how you got the ROM?
It does from a legal standpoint. In many countries, making your own backup copies of your games for personal use is legal (although anti-circumvention laws like the DMCA blur the lines here) but obtaining a backup copy from someone else, regardless of whether or not it is a copy of a game you already own, is not; at best it is a legal gray area.
Most countries allow downloads. They usually specifically target torrent users because a typical torrent user is making the file available to others while downloading. It doesn't apply if you download with a protocol (like http/https/ftp) that doesn't make you share the file.
You aren't reproducing, distributing, performing, publicly displaying, or making a derivative work. *The uploader is the one reproducing the work, see Disney v. VidAngel
And under fair use 3 of the four points would be in your favor, but that isn't determinative
spicyjpeg|2 years ago
It does from a legal standpoint. In many countries, making your own backup copies of your games for personal use is legal (although anti-circumvention laws like the DMCA blur the lines here) but obtaining a backup copy from someone else, regardless of whether or not it is a copy of a game you already own, is not; at best it is a legal gray area.
prmoustache|2 years ago
Most countries allow downloads. They usually specifically target torrent users because a typical torrent user is making the file available to others while downloading. It doesn't apply if you download with a protocol (like http/https/ftp) that doesn't make you share the file.
gnopgnip|2 years ago
You aren't reproducing, distributing, performing, publicly displaying, or making a derivative work. *The uploader is the one reproducing the work, see Disney v. VidAngel
And under fair use 3 of the four points would be in your favor, but that isn't determinative