Question about legality

[Kerrigan]

Another case where Google is of no use.

Anyway, I found what I guess you could call a hack of Super Mario 64, which I've wanted to download for a while, but I have no idea if it's legal to download a hack of a copyrighted game.

I already downloaded a ROM of SM64, which I've hacked myself, but what I'm not sure about is if it's ok to download an external (if I can use that term) hack without breaking any kind of law. If you're wondering what kind hack it is, info can be found here, but that is more like on overview of the game itself rather than info about legality or anything like that.

In short, can I download an external hack legally?

 

[freakworld]

since this is from smwcentral im assuming it downloads an ips patch (or sth similar)

ips patches are perfectly legal since they dont contain any copyrighted material (uuuuusually anyways, but im pretty sure it doesnt really matter)

the copyrighted material is the rom itself which is only being modified by the patch.

if you download a prehacked rom, its as much illegal as downloading an unpatched rom

 

[Kerrigan]

So it would be illegal since the game is pre-hacked, even though I already hacked my own ROM?

I would think it would be considered an "add-on" of sorts, since I already have an SM64 ROM.

 

[Lakituthequick]

This is apparently a patch to a game, not a modified game, so you should be fine.

Should note that the download link to SMWcentral is dead.

 

[Kerrigan]

Which link to smwcentral? The only link I saw was the one I linked to.

 

[Lakituthequick]

The download link in the infobox on the page you linked.

 

[Kerrigan]

Oh. I never clicked that, so I wouldn't have known that.

 

[Sabre]

In short, can I download an external hack legally?

In short, no.

But it's just as legal as downloading the original ROM(which you already did), so you shouldn't be worried anyway.

 

[Kerrigan]

So I should be ok, it sounds like.

Thanks, I guess this can be locked now.