Stella Atari Emulator - Is this really legal to use, has the ROMs been abandoned

[DaveLembke]

Looking up information on an old Atari2600 game that I use to play way back when I was like 8 years old, I came across an open source atari2600 emulator which also supplies links externally to ROM files.

Does anyone know the legalities of this. Are the ROM files officially abandonware since the oldest game in the rom directory online is copyright 1977 and the newest appears to be 1994 which I didnt think any over the shelf games were created for Atari2600 after 1987, so the 1994 dated ROM file might be one that someone created to work on Atari2600, but of which it was never sold in stores.

Back in the late 1980s early 1990s I use to get mailed catalogs of available software for Atari2600, C64, Amiga, Intellivision, Collecovision, Sega Master System, and other obsolete or soon to be obsolete game systems that stores no longer allocated shelf space for.

The newest title I remember being California games with a date on the cartridge of 1987, which was released when Atari2600 games were being sold at extreme discounts to make room for NES games with NES graphics and gameplay being way above and beyond the Atari graphics, sounds, and gameplay complexity. I remember going into Toys R Us around 1988 and going in with $20 and buying Atari games in packages that were marked as clearance for $1 to $5 a title. Some of the games for $1 were worth it, while Laser Blast was a huge waste of $1 with shooting 3 targets from a UFO without getting shot down and then the next level is the same as the first, while other titles like Megamania, Atlantis, Pitfall II, or Millipede were well worth the money at the time for titles that were fun.

I am tempted to download this emulator and roms, but figured I'd check on the legalities before doing so.

I would assume that Atari is not getting cheated in a massive ROM release since there is no money to really be made on this anymore with the money for these titles drying up pretty much before 1990, and only money being made today is with collectors selling systems and games on ebay used which also does not benefit Atari ( which doesnt even exist under its original identity today ) but I dont like to assume when it comes to legalities and software.

AtariAge website appears to be the location of the ROMs for download btw.

[Geek-9pm]

As a rule of thumb, if the copyright holder makes mo effort to enforce the copyright, you will not be arrested for breaking the law.
Many experts say  copyrights should have a time limit. At one time a 17 year limit was thought to be the law. However, in many regions this eds not apply.

In short, the copyright holder should go after the web site, not then individuals who download the materiel.

Of course, if you have legal possession of the ROM, you  can do anything for your own enjoyment.

Owning and distributing MAME itself is legal in most countries, as it is merely an emulator. Companies such as Sony have attempted in court to prevent emulators from being sold, but they have been ultimately unsuccessful.[14] MAME itself has thus far not been the subject of any court cases.
However, most arcade games are still covered by copyright. While it is arguably legal to transfer the data contained in ROM chips from a board you own to a personal computer, both downloading from and distributing ROMs on the Internet without permission from copyright holders is a violation of copyright laws.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAME

[BC_Programmer]

Are the ROM files officially abandonware

"Abandonware" doesn't even exist and is not an official classification. It's just a term made up by people to avoid the fact they are infringing a copyright.

It being hard to obtain a old piece of software through purchase or other means does not magically mean it's not copyright infringement to download it. However, It's about as likely that you would become the defendant in a court case on the matter as it is for you to be pursued by Intel for overclocking your own processor.