On Wed, Aug 8, 2012 at 8:08 AM, Paul Predkiewicz
<paul.predkiewicz@gmail.com> wrote:
sure thing it would be great to have a game in lojban. but what about the licensing/copyright? i can almost smell a lawsuit coming around the corner...
It's very true that the ROM hacking is considered illegal to some degree, but legality is also defined by execution. Generally, ROM hacks of old games are not pursued by lawsuits, as the game makers no longer make much money off the systems and cartridges, if any. (Generally, charges are pressed if someone is making money selling hacked or copied cartridges, however.)
Also, in many media, it is sometimes considered acceptable to fan translate a product before the official release comes out, so long as the public distribution network is shut down when the official release comes out.
Lastly, most of the companies/countries that would consider the ROM hacking illegal would more importantly consider the existence of the ROM illegal. Google "Game Boy ROM" to see how many sites freely distribute ROMs without issue. I doubt
lojban.org would be a prime target for sticklers.
It's basically one of those things that would be a problem if it was a current system, a current game, translated into an officially released language, and selling it for money on a popular website.