ITG/DDR Songs on Stepmania Illegal?

[stealthc]

I think people in the music community really don't care, it's a unique application and really how much effort would it take for them to start throwing sims on their release cd's then they would be doing all that needs to be done to get their music protected (for what it costs to make a cd).

It is in the music industry's best interests to seek out things that add value to their product.

Just because it's illegal doesn't mean I'm going to rush and delete my simfile database -- are you nuts I would feel like I'm destroying pieces of art.

The music industry if it has a beef can choose to work with us and our ever-expanding community, because I don't think it would be worth pissing off ddr fans.

I'm pretty sure the industry knows of us but chooses to overlook us because we're not making money from this. Start making money from it all and see how fast they step in.

[Mooga]

The music industry cares about one thing: Money.
Suing the pants off a million SM sites and fans is FUN for them.
They don't care about us. They don't care about the artists. They care about their damn money.

Some artist actually don't mind piracy. They think it helps get their music out there. The music industry will still sue you for having their music.

[MegamanZ]

Originally Posted by Xakun

StepMania with any song that isn't your'se or you don't have the artists permission to own = ILLEGAL.
All your MP3s for SM = ILLEGAL.
This site = EXTREMELY ILLEGAL.

End of discussion. This topic should be closed.

It's a lot more complicated than that, sadly.

IN GENERAL, DDR simfiles are a no-go, while it seems that ITG simfiles are okay right now (interestingly enough, I see former ITG staff allowing links to ITG simfiles - even those extracted from the PC version - on their site. see the official SM forums)

and to Xakun>>see stepmania 1st mix. the first two points of your arguement are void due to those.

[Mooga]

Custom made ITG sim files are ok.
However they don't like people posting RIPS from the arcade.

[MegamanZ]

Originally Posted by Mooga

Custom made ITG sim files are ok.
However they don't like people posting RIPS from the arcade.

the stuff I'm seeing linked to matches the exact format in the PC version (which isn't what SM 4.0 or 3.9 saves), which points to it being extracted straight from it.

[travelsonic]

Originally Posted by MegamanZ

It's a lot more complicated than that, sadly.

IN GENERAL, DDR simfiles are a no-go, while it seems that ITG simfiles are okay right now (interestingly enough, I see former ITG staff allowing links to ITG simfiles - even those extracted from the PC version - on their site. see the official SM forums)

and to Xakun>>see stepmania 1st mix. the first two points of your arguement are void due to those.

That and remember, ITGPC's upgrade with ITG2 songs and stuff was /is available for free by Roxor IIRC, you can use tools to extract the music from the PCK files and use them in stepmania.

And I would think it'd be ok to have DDR sims on your computer if you did the unfeasable method of ripping the songs from the Ps2 disks and encoded them appropriately, since there is the chance that could fall under fair use.

Xakun, no offense to you, but your arguments reek of arrogance and ignorance to boot. Seems you failed to consider:

- Ripping music from your own CDs, not distibuting the rips, and using them in Stepmania. Monotonous yes, but if not circumventing copy-protection still falls under fair use.

- Legal mixes where the copyright holders or composers of the song gave permission to have the song used and/or distributed for for free, or uses PUBLIC DOMAIN songs.

- DDR FOREVER. Paid royalties, and got Konami's permission, legal use of Stepmania w/DDR songs.

- any argument about "owning" the song is invalid IMO because that would imply the ownership of the copyright over the song which only the original composers and/or company has. Technically that is not what is in focus in determining whether something is infringing or not IIRC, but instead whether or not the owner of the song has given permission or not, in the case of DDR: no distributing the songs over the internet, ITG: same except for Zodiac release on Stepmania.com last year (?) and the release of the free ITG2 upgrade for ITGPC, and of course, there are the legal stepmania mixes and the public domain songs.

You can't rule out all uses of Stepmania with songs on that broad reasoning since there are factors that make it invalid.

[google666]

Couldn't you just buy say a Dragonforce CD and then go download the Dragonforce pack over in Community Project? Isn't that considered legal since you legally own a copy of the music (assuming you have all the music in the pack)?

[captainjack360]

Originally Posted by Mooga

The music industry cares about one thing: Money.
Suing the pants off a million SM sites and fans is FUN for them.
They don't care about us. They don't care about the artists. They care about their damn money.

Some artist actually don't mind piracy. They think it helps get their music out there. The music industry will still sue you for having their music.

Don't every company only care for money?
Too much damn greedy people these days.