The Legality Of Using Old Software In Modern Times
Is it in fact legal to use old software without paying for it? In the strictest legal sense the short answer is no. This is evidenced by the fact the companies like Nintendo guard their intellectual property very closely, going after sites distributing copies of their old console games going all the way back to the original NES console. Other companies turn a blind eye to the whole matter. I don't see Microsoft going after people using a copy of MS-DOS. They are well beyond that OS and are firmly focused on Windows. Retro computing is a growing in popularity and it may prompt some companies to take a second look at their old offerings and adopt a policy like Nintendo. I really don't see that being the norm, but rather the exception. There is a concept in Retro computing called Abandonware. This falls under turning a blind eye notion The software may still be under copyright, but the owner of that software is not actively pursuing a legal course to protect it. The vast majori...