[Puke]

no, techically its a large grey area of debate. copyrights do expire, and must be actively defended to cary any weight. some games that are advertised as abandonware are actually not, as they are still available commercially in compilations and collections - and more recently in packages that come with emulators and arcade consoles.

there is no sweeping illegality of abandonware, as it depends on each individual case. do some research into copyright law, or just read the press about it.

Most abandonware sites (including the one referenced) remove links to games that are commercially available, and instead provide information regarding where the game can be purchassed. They are, in fact, good citizens with a healthy respect for the law and intelectual property rights. please refrain from making unfounded acusations of theviery, without knowledge of the facts.

This is not to say that a previously abandoned piece of software can not become commercial again, if someone acquires the publishing rights and decides to sell it. It is then the responsibility of the copyright holder to notify people whom are distributing the software without authorization - in which case abandonware sites will generally cease distribution of that particular piece of software, and instead link to where it can be purchased.

For this reason, it is a truely bothersome hassel to operate an abandonware site, with the constantly shifting availablility of some titles, and the fluctuating interest / disintrest of the current copyright holders. It is truely a commendable effort to put up with all that crap, for seemingly no profit to themselves. We're lucky someone is willing to do it, or these great titles would be lost.