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EA's Stance on Copying software in the 80s

October 06, 2008 in Photos comments 11

Turns out EA has come a long way from their previous stance on software piracy.

Check out this excerpt from an old Atari game manual.

They should have just used this when they created Spore.

Deathsythe via i35.tinypic.com »
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  • 1
    Slumpy monkey Oct 6, 08
    That was 20 years ago, Of course people at the top have changed.
    Plus gaming is a major investment now and the piracy scene is alot bigger and hits their pockets harder.


    I think this is just a sad attempt to try and make EA look bad(as if there isn't enough bad press for them)


    This whole article is stupid.
  • 0
    Deathsythe Oct 6, 08
    Or you could just take it as the ironic joke that it was meant to be and move on.


    God, when are we getting our thumbs down feature back?

    • 1
      Slumpy monkey Oct 6, 08
      Well even if it was a joke, It wasn't very funny, I thought this was a gaming news site, not a joke site.

      But fair dues, Sorry if I took it the wrong way.
      • 1
        FinalFantasyFanaticc Oct 6, 08
        I thought it was very funny Especially since they aren't demanding you don't make copies, their begging you PLEASE not to make any copies rofl.
        Damn copy right laws back then ruled XD
  • 0
    Livewire_19 Oct 6, 08
    How did this get approved this is like 30 years old?
    Just kidding. I thought it was funny, But I really wish that EA would go back to this stance on piracy instead of chasing customers away with DRM.
    • 1
      FinalFantasyFanaticc Oct 6, 08
      Preach to the choir! Im sure that EA would have alot more sales of Spore if they just kept that piracy policy
    • 0
      Final Blade Oct 6, 08
      Doubt it, EA mentality is *bleep*ed nowadays.
  • 0
    Xenctuary Oct 7, 08
  • 1
    Daigoji_Gai Oct 8, 08
    This was before the days of the internet which made it a little "too easy" to distribute a game illegally. It would be one thing if )like Xenctuary's image when people (group of friends) were swapping 5 and a quarter floppies, but a totally different monster when an entire game has worldwide distribution and not a cent is seen by the publisher...

    Different times, different technologies, different laws to protect the creator and ensure profit. Not that I 100% agree with the "overstepping" of some rights protections, but... yeah things arent as simple as they were then... (and I still have my floppies for Freddy Pharkus, Wing Commander 2, Strike Commander and a few other gems)
    • 3
      Koloth Oct 8, 08
      Hah, yea. There was a time when not a single one of my PC games were paid for. They were all freeware, shareware, or just something I copied from a friend. And it was the same up until really the turn of the century. I pirated literally thousands of dollars worth of software back then. And I knew a great deal of it was stealing when I took it too.

      However times have changed. I now have the money to pay for the software I use. On top of that i know what its like to be a programmer. I have been in the field I have seen the work, I know the man hours, the dedication, and the sleepless nights of work to get things done, working and in on time. It is a very different beast these days than it was in the 80s. And the people that work on this stuff deserve to get paid for their work. None of use no matter how poor we are or how greedy we think these big corporations are have the right to steal money from the people doing the real work. Programmers can and do work every bit as hard as the guy breaking his back to dig a ditch. And it can break you down, chew you up, and spit you out just as fast if you can't cope.
      • 1
        Daigoji_Gai Oct 8, 08
        Well said, don't get me wrong. Before I entered the industry I too didn't understand all the flack about protection - now though, having met developers and designers and seeing that it isn't as fun and games as I once thought (and that for new programmers and even seasoned vets in the industry the pay isn't as glamorous as I once thought) killed my old habits.

        Well said Koloth, I tip my hat to you and give you a mighty thumb up!

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