Are no-cd patches illegal?

They are illegal end of.

But then i'm sure the majority of people wouldn't put it in the same boat as downloading the entire game with no intentions of buying it.

But yes in the eyes of the law it's illegal, no maybes, no buts.
 
Well most cracks are made through means of reverse engineering and modifying the code and I'm pretty sure there's clause somewhere in the contract when you install the game saying you're not allowed to do that (in case of cracks using something that used modifying I presume).
 
In the UK all No-CD cracks, fixed EXE's are illegal i'm afraid, not that it doesn't stop people using them with all the Warez that seems to be around now a days :(

I did find this on an American forum:

"When is a crack legal then?"
The use of cracks is legal and supported when it is for personal use only. It's legal when you bought the original game in a legal store, but you want to back your game/program up. copying a game after buying it is something I really recommend to do... use the copy to play the game, but keep the original at some safe place. If you damage the copy, you can still use the original to make a new copy, and so you will still be able to play the game. And believe me, damaging or screwing up a CD is done faster than you think The name says it... a backup CD crack enables you to play the game with a back-up (copy) of it, so that the chances that you damage YOUR original are reduced to the minimum. The purpose of a No-CD crack is the same as for backup CD cracks... reducing the chance to damage your original. No-CD cracks are also for people who don't want to switch CD's every time they want to play another game. It's also known that some games lag when they read the data from the (original) CD. In such case, a No-CD crack is a good solution, because you can play the game without the CD inserted if the crack was installed correctly.
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Germany also allows you back-up copies.


However, back-up copies may be legal (in other countries), but no-cds aren't, as the EULA will state that any modification of game code (which is what a no-cd is)is prohibited.
 
Azagoth said:
Frowned upon! We don't allow the discussion of said files on our forums, see sig, but if it's discussed via PM and such what can we do?
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I'm sorry but that's hillarious. Someone with 312 posts making a statement like that to someone with 4700 posts - 'our forums' :D
 
I can't believe it's illegal if you own the original software, I absolutely refuse to keep changing cd/dvd's everytime I want to play a game, otherwise it's like i,ve got a massive console, infact the way things are going at the moment I would'nt be suprised if in the future they work out a way to run games effectively like they do on consoles, straight off the disk and non-installable to your harddrive, infact i'm sure i've heard rumers of this as a possible way to help curb copyright infringement.
 
lowrider007 said:
I can't believe it's illegal if you own the original software, I absolutely refuse to keep changing cd/dvd's everytime I want to play a game, otherwise it's like i,ve got a massive console, infact the way things are going at the moment I would'nt be suprised if in the future they work out a way to run games effectively like they do on consoles, straight off the disk and non-installable to your harddrive, infact i'm sure i've heard rumers of this as a possible way to help curb copyright infringement.
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Read the EULA. You're not allowed to modify code.

No-CDs do modify code.

Hence, off to prison you go;):p
 
Ex-RoNiN said:
Read the EULA. You're not allowed to modify code.

No-CDs do modify code.

Hence, off to prison you go;):p
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Well, thats not taking into account the fact that most EULAs are totally unenforcable heaps of &*%, which wouldn't stand up in a court of law.

Far as I wish to go on this subject- Straying closer to bad territories.

-Leezer-
 
Energize said:
Why does the uk always have the most pointless laws, a simple patch that saves the effort of replacing cds made illegal :(
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Probably good reasoning behind, but who's going to know really and who's really going to care IF you did do it?

It is really down to the developers to allow running of games without the CD like WoW and Q3. Silly things like this make me like the game even more :)
 
Energize said:
Why does the uk always have the most pointless laws, a simple patch that saves the effort of replacing cds made illegal :(
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It's not a pointless law. The point is, cd-checking is one way of trying to stop people making copies of games, or playing them without owning the game. If no-cds were legal, it'd be like the old days when people would be handing round floppies to friends and associates cutting into the publisher's sales.

Of course, just because something is illegal, doesn't mean that some people won't do it. The chance of being prosecuted for using a crack on a game you own is very low I would imagine - I've certainly never heard of it happening.
 
Its illegal in the same way as speeding, burning music that you own to discs for the car, lending a friend last weeks Top Gear on a burnt DVD etc. etc. are illegal, a complete nonsense and unenforcable!

Once a law is deemed by the general public to be a nonsense in becomes pretty much uneforcable anway, everybody does it and the courts just wouldn't have the time to process the cases if the were enforced due to how many there would be.

For an recent example just look at the Poll Tax, it was deemed to be unfair and peope would pay it, there were riots and in the end it was scrapped.

Cheers

HEADRAT
 
It's another classic of treat the customer like a criminal. Any avid games fan is going to have a large library of games she has legally purchased.

So if she decides to play an old-school classic she has to search her library to find the cd. Check it isn't scratched and then load in into the computer. If she No-CD'd the game she could just double click the EXE.

The only reason games makers use the CD-In-The-Drive is for copy-protection that any reasonable net user can bypass.

So stop treating legitimate customers like criminals. It is the same with Activation. My company has spent a small fortune of Adobe Creative Suite Prof. Every time we change hardware it makes us re-activate. What gives?

Imagine if you had to take your car back to the garage after you fitted a third-party part because the EULA said so. Rubbish. You purchased the car and you can fit a 2000BHP Turbo. If you break it though it is tough...but it is yours so Ford can go jump.

Me? I No-CD all my games because I'll be damned if I want to keep swapping discs all the while. If the makers don't like it they can kiss my shiny...
 
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Clearcut said:
I'm sorry but that's hillarious. Someone with 312 posts making a statement like that to someone with 4700 posts - 'our forums' :D
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Whats hilarious is that you didnt take the trouble to read what he posted before you took the trouble to try and put him down. :rolleyes:

Even if you missed the 'see sig' bit, the reference to PM's could have given you a clue he was refering to another forum. :rolleyes:
 
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