How does Archive.org get away with piracy

[Enigma]

More often than not these days if I'm looking to pirate a program I end up getting it from archive.org. Everything from old versions of Adobe products, to current versions of Windows. Old games, sometimes hard to find CDs, all sorts of shit.


How in the fuck do they actually get away with this?

[Das Troll]

Probably a bunch of it is considered abandonware. There are a bunch of sites with old MS-DOS, C64, Amiga, ect ect games on it that the owner of the IP has abandoned so they're now free to download. As for the windows thing, I think windows pretty much has given up on people trying to pirate the actual software since a lot of times they give it away for free. What they do now is try and keep you from updating and using features of the newest builds.

[Enigma]

Isn't that bad though? Like, don't you have to protect your IP in order to claim copyright down the line?


I suppose part of the Windows thing too is that if it doesn't come pre-activated you technically need a key that's implied you paid for. I guess SLIC has been a thing for a long time too

[Opiate_Receptor]

I think it's got something to do with the ORG domain.
ORG sites are (?) similar to non-profits so that they can't be sued for the same cash value as other types.
If I'm wrong, tell me.

[Enigma]

I looked more into it and I guess they get away with it by being classified as a library.

[Das Troll]

I looked more into it and I guess they get away with it by being classified as a library.

Makes sense. I've spent a lot of time in the VHS vault and it has a ton of copyrighted material.

https://archive.org/details/vhsvault?&s ... ads&page=3

[kingoffrogs]

WIKIPEDIA: The "good faith" defense (Section 504(c)(2)) reduces the statutory damages where the infringer was an educational institution, library, archive, or public broadcaster and reasonably believed that the infringing use was "fair use."

WIKIPEDIA:

[kirby]

fair use, as above.