Torrenting Query

[Vitvol279]

I've just moved into my new house with my girlfriend and after unpacking all my games, I noticed a bunch of my old ones were scratched and sadly my computer won't recognize them.

So here's my question. Is it illegal for me to download the games and burn them to disc if I own them legit?

 

[Vitvol279]

Didn't think FBI have any jurisdiction in the UK?

 

[BonsaiK]

CDs and DVDs can be repaired quite easily. I'd invest in that rather than torrenting.

 

[GunstarHero]

I think it's a grey area. BonsaiK hits the nail here, a lots of videogame stores or even Blockbuster stores have disc repair services, usually only a couple £/$ to get a disc fully resurfaced. A lot safer than downloading, by my estimation.

Am I remembering it correctly that games used to have in the manuals, a little spiel about if the disc got scratched you could send it back to them and for a fee they'd replace it? Maybe that's an anachronism now, but I'm sure I read it at some stage!

 

[Vitvol279]

Fair doos.
The main reasons I asked is, I've literally just moved house and I'm strapped for cash.
I do think you can return them and pay a fee but when I said these were old games. I'm talking about games like Full Throttle, Dungeon Keeper, Theme Hospital and other oldies.

I still have receipts for them and everything else, but most are really badly scratched and a few of the old ones have cracks in them.

I'll pop up my the town on the weekend and have a look into getting some fixed.

Cheers for the replies.

 

[Azure Sky]

Good question.

I think it 'may' be legal to copy the disks you already own as a backup/safeguard method, but I have no real backing for it.

So based on that, it 'might' be fine if it as a replacement for damaged ones, as you still use your original keys for it, where the program comes from should be irrelevant. Example would be an e-install like steam with store-bought keys, maybe.

But in the same breath it may not be. Example of this is Minecraft, just because you own the game, I believe it is illegal to download/send the .jar from/to anyone, even if all parties involved own it. (It comes up often on the MC modding forums from people who still can't install mods)

 

[Erana]

Good question.

I think it 'may' be legal to copy the disks you already own as a backup/safeguard method, but I have no real backing for it.

So based on that, it 'might' be fine if it as a replacement for damaged ones, as you still use your original keys for it, where the program comes from should be irrelevant. Example would be an e-install like steam with store-bought keys, maybe.

But in the same breath it may not be. Example of this is Minecraft, just because you own the game, I believe it is illegal to download/send the .jar from/to anyone, even if all parties involved own it. (It comes up often on the MC modding forums from people who still can't install mods)

Yeah, its weird like that. The idea that you can't send others copies, even though you can, say, download a game from Steam for yourself an endless number of times legally is that its your license for your product. Getting the software from someone else is taking their illegally made copy of the license.
Its odd, yes, but I wouldn't do it if there's a chance of getting your disc repaired.

 

[Azure Sky]

Its odd, yes, but I wouldn't do it if there's a chance of getting your disc repaired.

Agreed.

It is better to be safe than sorry after all.

 

[Vitvol279]

I miss the days when piracy didn't exist and you could lend out your cds and floppy disks to your mates and no one cared.

It was so simple back then.

 

[tharglet]

If the silvery stuff on the top of the disc is in one piece (look thru the disc at a light - if you can't see anything shining directly through, then you're good), then there's a chance you can repair the scratches on the bottom surface - the methods usually fall into one of two categories - filling in the scratches with a clear residue or removing a small amount of the surface of the disc, thus polishing it.

Several sites say toothpaste works well. Not tried this myself (I'm too careful with my discs) but if they're not working, you might as well give one or more of the methods a go and see if it works. For more methods, googling "cd scratches" turfs up a whole host of possible solutions.