Legality with StepMania

Resolute · Trick Member Joined: 30 May 2005

Is it legal to make a SM cabinet and put it in a public place, and charge money for others to use it? If not, why would it have the coin option, and if it is, what would i have to do to put it in a mall, Theater, ect.?
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Synaesthesia · Posted: Sat May 27, 2006 2:03 pm Post subject:

If you have songs that aren't free public domain then that's definitely a problem.
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im a lasagna whale

G_G

XOR-SYS · Trick Member Joined: 04 May 2005 Location: Canada

If your machine:

is free + uses public domain songs... legal
is free + uses commercial songs... legal
requires a fee + uses public domain songs... legal
requres a fee + uses commercial songs... illegal
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2MB = tomb?

vesper · Trick Member Joined: 06 Dec 2005

Just go for it, I doubt police officers are roaming malls and stuff looking for Stepmania cabinets that are charging money for commercial songs

Resolute · Trick Member Joined: 30 May 2005

when you say "commercial", do you mean the songs from the mix, or liscenced songs?
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XOR-SYS · Trick Member Joined: 04 May 2005 Location: Canada

DJBon2112 · Posted: Sat May 27, 2006 6:28 pm Post subject:

It's illegal, but please: Who's going to arrest/charge/whatever you for the machine? As long as you can get away with it (i.e. Konami people or the artists arn't going to be walking by and playing it), no one will care.
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Dr1010 wrote: "Looks like ViAGRA's the new PARANOiA."

Resolute · Trick Member Joined: 30 May 2005

so i coulb make a SM machine tih public domain songs and Konami originals? that would be great as no one would ever play liscensed songs such as get busy or other crap (cartoon heros is exempt)
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Edible Bondage Tape · Trick Member Joined: 26 Jan 2002 Location: Kerri

DJBon2112 · Posted: Sun May 28, 2006 10:08 am Post subject:

Yes, but a) the RIAA isn't going to care about a stupid game and b) Konami originals aren't controlled by the RIAA. Just don't use anything from popular artists in the US and you should be fine.
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Dr1010 wrote: "Looks like ViAGRA's the new PARANOiA."

XOR-SYS · Trick Member Joined: 04 May 2005 Location: Canada

What public place are you talking about, anyway? If it's anything like a bar, a restaurant, or an arcade, the legality issues will be of concern to whoever owns the place, and you more than likely won't be able to set up there.
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2MB = tomb?

Resolute · Trick Member Joined: 30 May 2005

hmmm...then i will make my own arcade and get a mega long extension cord. and whenever someone almost beats my score, ill just "accidentaly" unplug the machine
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Spy47 · Trick Member Joined: 29 Jun 2003

What about graphics? And Menu Background Music? DJ Sharpnel and M1dy are commercial (I guess)?

Da Bar · Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 6:35 am Post subject:

just do it. if anyone actually checked on these things, our hacked itg cab would've been shut down a long time ago.
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RAPE ME!! you know you want to.

John Locke wrote:

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jpoppyz · Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 9:42 am Post subject:

exactly, no one will catch you as long as you make it look as official as possible. Basically as long as you don't have some PC hooked up to a moniter and Stepmania written with a sharpie marker on a piece of posterboard above with a coin slot hooked up you should be fine. Heres the solution; find an old cabinet(prefferably a DDR or ITG one), gut it, throw the PC in there, hook up some pads, get a DDR or ITG interface+marquee and unless the cops o so happen to be DDR freaks you'll be fine. Even though i just made it sound about 10000 times easier than it is, its probably what you're gonna have to do. Unless you live in hick-vile USA.

Joel Stud?! · Trick Member Joined: 16 Jun 2005 Location: The ILSTU

Everyone else is right. It's illegal. YAY!

[shameless plug]

There is smmix.com, which is a group of people trying to make a pack (for stepmania (like duh (triple parenth WHEE))) that's 100% legal. We obviously don't get the same music selection as other packs, but we do what we can. We're not where close to releasing, but we can probably feed you some legal material to put onto a machine if your interested. And if you feel like helping us out, that'd be wonderful.

[/shameless plug]

Resolute · Trick Member Joined: 30 May 2005

maxx freak · Trick Member Joined: 09 Aug 2005

So simfiles I download from any nowhere place that are official DDR songs, are those commercial? For example DDR Spain/UK have all the mixes. If i download them are they commercial?

darkchao56 · Trick Member Joined: 21 Dec 2004 Location: Westminster, MD

Da Bar · Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 6:33 am Post subject: