Legal Question about computer games

[Narnia]

Can I loan a computer game to a friend for him to try out? What are the laws on this in the USA?


I didn't know where to ask this at and it is in a way a tech question, moderators, please move this thread where you feel it belongs.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Usually no. However I think you're allowed to invite your friend to try it on your computer.

Edit: Oh wow. I used the punctuation and spelling all right

 

[Narnia]

Can I uninstall my game from my computer, loan it to a friend, and then require that he uninstalls the game from his computer before he returns it? The game in mind is civ BtS and it isn't like I can just loan him my computer for the amount of time needed for him to play a few games of civ.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Can I uninstall it from my computer, loan it to a friend, and then require that he uninstalls the game from his computer before he returns it? The game in mind is civ BtS and it isn't like I can just loan him my computer for the amount of time needed for him to play a few games of civ.

Haha, that would be technically within it Id think. But how can you make sure he uninstalls it.

 

[Narnia]

Haha, that would be technically within it Id think. But how can you make sure he uninstalls it.

Well for one thing, he refused to borrow the game until I found out whether or not this would be legal; I doubt that anyone would do this if they were going to just turn around and break the law anyways.
in addition, we both believe that piracy constitutes as theft, and the Bible says that theft is wrong.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

..... All right then.

I just thought of it though. Isnt there a BtS demo somewhere?

 

[Turner]

Technically you must uninstall the game before he can install it. Then when he's done, he'll need to uninstall it before you reinstall it.

 

[Narnia]

I'm trying to get him to upgrade from vanilla to BtS. Also, I don't think that the demo is compatable with windows 7x64 bit.

 

[Genocidicbunny]

The demo should work just fine if the game itself does too.

For the Op question, it really depends on the EULA. Without having it in front of me though, Id say no one is going to have a problem with you loaning it to your friend for a little while.

PS: You dont need to say 'bit' after Windows 7 x64. The x64 implies that its 64-bit.

 

[Skwink]

So, I used to play a couple games on my old PC, and it stopped playing games without crashes, so I put it away, and gave my games to my friend and his brother. Legal?

 

[Genocidicbunny]

As long as you didn't keep a copy, you effectively sold the games to your brother for $0 which in my book is just fine, even if the software companies would have you think otherwise.

 

[Northen Wolf]

So, I used to play a couple games on my old PC, and it stopped playing games without crashes, so I put it away, and gave my games to my friend and his brother. Legal?

You cost millions of dollars to honest and hardworking people, besides that millions and billions of babies die because of your criminal activities!

But if you sold these games to your pal for nothing then it's legal, AFAIK.

 

[mdwh]

It surely can't be a problem if you uninstall it - it seems common practice in companies to change which computer software runs on, when they only have a limited number of licences.

And don't most games require the CD to play, anyway? So it's not like you could even play it anyway. Is there a reason why you're asking? I mean, even if you want to abide by the law, there comes a point where you have to ask what's ethical, rather than "technically illegal" - in the UK, it's still technically illegal to copy your CD to you own computer or mp3 player, but that wouldn't stop most people. No one cares about lending a CD to someone else, either. Which actually is an interesting analogy: the idea that you would need multiple licences because you had a song copied on multiple media, possibly for use by multiple people, seems unreasonable, yet we seem to have accepted it as normal for software. Imagine if a CD you bought was DRMed to prevent this, like Windows is?

The EULA is only relevant if what you're doing is by default illegal (in which case, the licence might grant you permission). But if it's legal, companies don't get to decide the law.

ETA: Okay, I see your later comments about not wanting to commit "theft". Well, firstly if you're asking out of reasons of religious morality, shouldn't the issue be what your religion says, not what a country decides? (I mean, I think it's ludicrous to say that copyright infringement is theft anyway, but ask yourself: is your friend committing theft when you lend him something, and he later gives it back? Would it be theft if you lent him your bike or car?)

Also note that the commandments were written in times that, whilst there were harsh laws against theft, this was centuries before any country implemented any laws on copyright. So the idea that biblical law prohibits copying seems on rather flawed grounds to me.

 

[illram]

If you uninstall it you can do whatever you want with it. You can sell it on ebay for 5 million dollars if you wanted. Loaning should be no different.

 

[Skwink]

You cost millions of dollars to honest and hardworking people, besides that millions and billions of babies die because of your criminal activities!

But if you sold these games to your pal for nothing then it's legal, AFAIK.

HEY HEY HEY!!! It's only a FEW thousand babies....

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Isnt it technically illegal to watch a movie with a friend? Sometimes the EULAs are just silly

 

[warpus]

OP: That's legal, but you should document the uninstalls, installs, etc. and mail all supporting documentation to the lawyers of the gaming company in question

 

[mdwh]

Isnt it technically illegal to watch a movie with a friend? Sometimes the EULAs are just silly

I don't know about the first (I've not heard of any such laws). I agree about the latter, but note it has no relation to the first - if it's legal to watch with a friend, then it's legal.

 

[Narnia]

ETA: Okay, I see your later comments about not wanting to commit "theft". Well, firstly if you're asking out of reasons of religious morality, shouldn't the issue be what your religion says, not what a country decides? (I mean, I think it's ludicrous to say that copyright infringement is theft anyway, but ask yourself: is your friend committing theft when you lend him something, and he later gives it back? Would it be theft if you lent him your bike or car?)

There are actually two things. the bible says not to steal (and sense I'm trying to convince my friend to buy a copy of his own I don't think this is theft. If I was going to make illegal copies of the game to give to my friends so they didn't have to pay for their own copies then that would be theft) and it also say you should abide by the laws of the country you live in (on the condition that they do not violate any of God's laws) as well. That's why I'm trying to find out what US law says on this matter.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

I don't know about the first (I've not heard of any such laws). I agree about the latter, but note it has no relation to the first - if it's legal to watch with a friend, then it's legal.

Something to do with public performance