Abandonware

Abandonware describes computer software whose copyright is no longer defended. This could be by intentional non-enforcement by its owners due to its age or obsolescence. Sometimes this is because the copyright holder went out of business or died without transferring ownership, leaving no one to defend the copyright. Usually this means that abandonware is rather old.

Transfer of this software is still technically illegal (except in cases of owner dissolution or death) as the copyright is still in effect. Abandonware changes hands based on the presumption that the copyright holder is no longer making money on selling the software, or that the owner will not spend the time or money to enforce the copyright.

Companies do sometimes voluntarily relinquish copyright, putting it into the public domain. Transfer of public domain software is perfectly legal, distinguishing it from abandonware.

The most common abandonware is old video games, either computer games or older console or arcade games that are played through emulation?. Many people think that various older games are more fun than newer games, so these games have gained a second life by being distributed through the Internet. However, sometimes this conflicts with the copyright holders. Atari 2600 games are commonly distributed throughout the Internet based on the presumption that no one would buy a primitive Atari game. This presumption is false as mobile phone manufacturers have bought the rights to use these games, which play quite nicely on newer programmable mobile phones.

External links:

• [Abandonware in Google Directory]