• Gray@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      This isn’t necessarily always true. PCSX2, the main PS2 emulator, for example needs a BIOS file that can only be obtained from an actual PS2 (or “illegally”). I’m not sure why that emulator requires it when others don’t. The closest thing to an explanation I could find online just said “legal issues”, but didn’t go into details. That makes me suspect that there was pushback from Sony about the emulator. So if such emulation laws were to be written they absolutely should protect in stone the right to create and use emulators. If a company can find a loophole to block you, they will.

      • tobier@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        1 year ago

        It’s required because a lot of the functionality of the PS2 is in the embedded software, the BIOS.

        The problem is not the emulator itself, it’s the BIOS which is copyrighted. The emulator is not illegal, but bundling the BIOS with it would be.

    • xenonisbad@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      1 year ago

      There are legal problems when creating emulators, sure people work hard to avoid them, but I don’t think they should have to do that in those cases, so I specifically wrote “all emulators” should be legal. For example, Dolphin to work requires cryptographic keys that technically belong to Nintendo, so they may be sued for providing them. Some emulators require you to find bios on your own because they can’t legally provide them, and their emulator doesn’t work without it.

      • tobier@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        1 year ago

        If you bundle cryptographic keys, bios or other copyrighted content then yes obviously it’s illegal.

        It’s not illegal to implement an emulator.