Yet another reseller
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Hi all,
just saw this fly by on Facebook ads and the setup looks awfully familiar, doesn't it?
https-://-theretroplayer.-com/
Is this "allowed" by the Retropie team? I remember this being a deal with another such reseller in the past.
This one is from The Netherlands no less.If this is allowed feel free to delete this post, just curious
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@shoothere None of them are allowed. Ever.
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@darksavior I figured as much.. how does one go about it? I have a disdain for such scammers and being a Dutchie I can perhaps help in shutting these down.
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@shoothere I don't think they would give a damn if you told them; I guess most of them know exactly that they're breaking a multiple of non-commercial licenses of Retropie's components and its setup script. Any responsible seller would consult the legal information of a third-party component they're going to include in their own product.
Since I also doubt that the Retropie team has the time, money, and nerve for legal action against the many illegal sellers, the only initiation of legal measures that comes to my mind would be informing the biggest fishes among the creators of Retropie's components, like the teams behind Raspbian, RetroArch, or M.A.M.E. If they can't or won't take action against illegal sellers, none will; but that may well be the final conclusion.
In the light of these very limited options, the best way to spoil their fraudulent businesses may be to spread the word, inform and discourage potential buyers, review these products negatively with reference to Retropie's legal page etc.
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Not sure about business law in other countries, but in the US you can write "cease and desist letters" A cease and desist letter is different from a cease and desist order as it has no legal weight behind it and is akin to a warning but may be the first steps in actual legal action. This is why it can be effective. It doesn't even need to come from a lawyer as it is not a binding or legal document but the more official you can make it look the more the recipient might take the warning and stop.
A cease and desist order is gotten with a lawyer and the court and needs to be done by the copyright holder or their representative. It IS a legal order to stop as apposed to the "warning" a letter has.
So ya, I would consider the cease and desist letter warning them that they are subject to legal action. It lets them know they have been spotted. They may ignore you and call your bluff but they may also stop what they are doing.
I would also do @Clyde's suggestion and try to make it known to any potential customer's that they are selling stuff that is free.
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Has the development team ever enlisted volunteers to take a predetermined course of action to help deter these sellers or is it just an unfortunate waste of time? I'd be more than happy to shoot off approved emails and responses if this ever wanted to be pursued from a basic standpoint. Obviously direct legal action is expensive.
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@shoothere said in Yet another reseller:
https-://-theretroplayer.-com/
If people want to form a posse to help enforce intellectual property rights, the first step is to list which specific license(s) are being violated.
Commonly this will be the inclusion of non-commercial emulator cores or non-commercial graphic themes in a commercial product. Just because it's commercial doesn't necessarily mean its in violation of licenses though. No one can sell a product that includes mame2003 for example, but it could be OK to sell a product with RetroArch + mame2016 depending on what else is included.
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Always wondered if it's the same people that sell these for a bit, stop change name and start back up after a couple months.
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It's a pain that Faceache doesn't have more options to report these ads (But then why cut down on revenue).
I end up getting blocked by many of these companies after comments like 'Wow, must of cost a fortune securing the distribution rights to so many ROMS, let alone being allowed to use the work of Retropie'
One small satisfaction can be if they have a 'review' option, 1 star, point it out there.
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@clyde I have found that the more I use this link:
https://ap.nintendo.com/report/
the less I see illegal ROM sellers on eBay. Granted more pop up every day but a lot of sellers disappeared after reporting the listings to The Big N. Not sure if they have legal tendrils in Netherlands but can't hurt to try and get the big companies to do your dirty work. That's what the huge cadre of lawyers are for.
Now I'm no saint - not trying to paint myself as the "Ultra Halo Wearing Social Justice Warrior With A Side Of Bacon!!" kinda guy. We ALL know where to get games. I've been emulating since I got a 2400 baud modem to go BBS hopping. It's the people that SELL and PROFIT from them that irritate me.
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@classicgmr said in Yet another reseller:
Now I'm no saint - not trying to paint myself as the "Ultra Halo Wearing Social Justice Warrior With A Side Of Bacon!!" kinda guy. We ALL know where to get games. I've been emulating since I got a 2400 baud modem to go BBS hopping. It's the people that SELL and PROFIT from them that irritate me.
Now that's going back!
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