Nintendo no friend of homebrew market, sues DS cart makers

[Chibi Kami]

Playing classic games via emulator is a blast, although the legality of ROMs, even if you own the original carts, is questionable.

 

American law:

Any software product which has not been actively marketed (in a given format) for four years is considered abandonware (in that format), and, under various preservation of art arguments, is free to be acquired for the sake of archival and appreciation by whatever means are at your disposal (save for actual theft of someone else's copy).

 

Canadian law:

If a software product is no longer being marketed, it is considered abandonware. Same terms as American law apply.

I've heard that a similar law reform was passed in America, but it was downplayed so much that few others have heard of it.

 

Translation: NES through DC roms be legal, yo. And no, the wii VC doesn't negate the legality of the roms of any games released for it since the original roms were initially distributed in a different format (cartridge).