Can I sell a product that has RetroPie installed in it?
-
So I make these really nice Raspberry Pi cases. All custom designed. its an acrylic that I paint from the inside with a masking. Each case takes me 6 hours of labor, and I profit about 35 bucks on it. Well I have sold a few with RetroPie loaded onto it. Is that a really bad thing? I feel like the small profit I make just goes to my efforts on the case. But Am I completely wrong? Is there a way I can share this with my friends with out doing it "illegally" while still making a few bucks for the effort?
I have wondered is the disclaimer just a liability protection for Retropie? !
-
@timmydont The quick answer is "No, you're not allowed to sell RetroPie", and many people here can give you specific reasons. There's also the fact that you are using copyrighted characters.
All that aside, it would be cool to see inside the boxes, maybe a tutorial of how you have the LED, power and reset buttons wired up.
-
Its actually ok that I'm selling Nintendo artwork.. There is no bad juju there. I do have a few photos of the inside. The wiring and code came from what I learned over at ETAPrime.
The base is a heavy sheet of metal and a bolt rests against the PCU dissipating lots of heat out the bottom of the case. I can clock it to the max and never overheats. I made a video on how to make your own DIY passive cooling setup. Here is what it looks like under the hood.
And the LED is inside the clear rubber foot lol.. Its kinda cool actually.And I made a tutorial how to make the Mega sized DIY heatsink also.
-
@timmydont said in Can I sell a product that has RetroPie installed in it?:
Its actually ok that I'm selling Nintendo artwork.. There is no bad juju there.
So you've already paid the proper licensing fees to Nintendo? Otherwise, using their trademarked characters for financial gain is very much illegal.
-
@mediamogul Well This is what they say. "Nintendo does not grant permission to individuals to use any content from this website. Because we receive thousands of such requests, our policy is to decline use of our trademarks and copyrights"
They seem to imply not to bother them if you aren't some company. As an individual, you are just too small to be bothered with. So I see a small loop hole? They aren't going to come after me for the few hundred dollars Ive made from my friends. In cash. Not too worried about them.. Just more curious about RetroPie and what they think.
-
@timmydont said in Can I sell a product that has RetroPie installed in it?:
They seem to imply not to bother them if you aren't some company. As an individual, you are just too small to be bothered with.
I have to admit to being a little shocked that anyone could misinterpret that statement in such a way. Even so, while it is actually unlikely that Nintendo will ever come after you due to the size of your operation, you should never disillusion yourself that what you are doing is unquestionably illegal. As far as RetroPie is concerned, it contains software and artwork that have non-commercial licenses that prohibit it from being sold by itself, or as part of another product. More information on this and how to legally comply can be found here.
Edit: Should I even ask if pirated ROMs and BIOS files are included in your build?
-
@mediamogul I read it but I kinda just see right through it.. "Much of the software included in the RetroPie image have non-commercial licences." So RetroPie has taken something they dont own and they distribute it. And they would then get in trouble if their users were making money off their program. So I see it as a liability waiver so RetroPie cant get in trouble because I sell it.. I feel they would not be personally upset If I did profit a small amount.. So thats why I am asking.. Yea they say not to.. But do they genuinely care?
-
I feel they would not be personally upset If I did profit a small amount.
How you're not typing this from a jail cell right now astounds me.
-
@mediamogul That comment has brightened my day.. I dont have much of a record. But I guess my retro game "hacking" is going to be the thing that brings me down.. haha . I love you dude!
-
I don't know of any other way to come at this than with some humor. I mean, whatever we tell you, it looks like you'll just reinterpret it as some sort of secret code to go ahead anyway. Since you seem to be pretty open about the whole thing, are you also including pirated ROMs in your product? I hear the DMCA is really more of a recipe for carrot cake than an actual law.
-
@timmydont Should we assume you are just trolling here? You clearly are deliberately misunderstanding everything you have read elsewhere or on this site. A non-commercial license is clearly not a license for commercial use, and has nothing to do with giving this site a get-out-of-jail-free card.
-
Well I have sold a few with RetroPie loaded onto it. Is that a really bad thing? I feel like the small profit I make just goes to my efforts on the case
If your selling the case then sell the case. What you're taking is the added value of others copyrighted work and selling it as your own which is just straight up greedy douchebaggery.
-
@herb_fargus Im making less that 6 dollars an hour. I just do it in my spare time to help my friends play the emulated retro games I've been playing for a long time. I dont see how that small profit could make me part of "greedy douchebaggery". Are you over reacting? Or is that how a developer would feel also?
-
@timmydont said in Can I sell a product that has RetroPie installed in it?:
is that how a developer would feel also?
Developers, Nintendo and I suspect thousands of game designers and IP holders as well. Take your pick. There's not one part of this that's legal other than the case without the trademarked imagery. Still, somehow against all evidence to the contrary, you've managed to convince yourself that you're entitled to a special exemption, which makes me wonder why you even came here in the first place. You're obviously going to continue anyway and in all honesty, it's likely that you won't see any repercussions, but make no mistake about it, you are in fact breaking several clearly defined and well established laws here.
-
Well ok.. The community has expressed themselves. I guess I was already breaking laws by playing roms of games I didnt already own.. And Im probably seeding the torrents right now. So .. Whats the big deal right? lol
Contributions to the project are always appreciated, so if you would like to support us with a donation you can do so here.
Hosting provided by Mythic-Beasts. See the Hosting Information page for more information.