It's a classic adventure game that deserves to be on GOG. Sure it's available elsewhere but then so is "Beneath A Steel Sky". I'd prefer to have it on my GOG shelf and I'm sure I'm not alone. Since it's freeware, it seems like it would be a slam dunk. Thoughts?

Vote for it on the wishlist:

http://www.gog.com/en/wishlist/games/flight_of_the_amazon_queen

GOG have to make an agreement with owners for every release. I guess it's just a matter of time :) Meanwhile you can get it from DotEmu. Regards!

Considering it's already up for free download on ScummVM's website, I can think why there would be a rights issue. Or, more to the point, why GOG should bother.

Same could be said for most of the free games on GOG, almost all of them are available as freeware already. Some people would still prefer to have it on GO G:)

Because unless it was placed into the public domain they still need permission to redistribute it. Ultima IV for the longest time was free, but only if you got it from one of a small number of specific web sites, if you downloaded it from anywhere else you were technically pirating it.

In the case of GOG, this is a commercial web site and using it as promotional material could easily run afoul of the owner's trademark.

Something else that GOG could eventually make an announcement about, and possibly bring in more people and customers? ("Free game!" "Free game? Cool! What else they got here?") Plus, maybe there are goodies that could be distributed with it. (I was pleased that Worlds of Ultima actually had music this time. :)

Pretty much this. The thing about FOTAQ is that the rights were not with Renegade (and by way of inheritance, Atari), the rights remained with John Passfield, and he distributes the game on his website for free. He's allowed ScummVM to distribute it, but I'm not sure how he would feel about commercial exploitation of the property.

As makr3la pointed out, the game is already being offered as a freebie on a commercial site (DotEmu). It goes without saying that GOG wouldn't charge money for a freeware game and would contact the rights owner for permission.

You're missing the point, the free games here are promotional in that they promote the site. Which may or may not be acceptable to the rights holder. Even if the game is free elsewhere.

I don't think I am missing the point. You don't think DotEmu uses the free games they offer to promote their site? All I'm saying is there's already a precedent for the rights holder allowing the game to be offered as a freebie on a commercial site.

Discarding legal issues, I just want to comment that FOTAQ on GOG would be great. It might be the best non-Lucasarts adventure game of the 90s I've played.

If you want to see "Flight Of The Amazon Queen" on GOG, make sure to let the rights holder John Passfield know on his Twitter account:

https://twitter.com/johnpassfield

I love it when we can foil GOGs marketing schemes .... XD!

I guess someone if biting his hat right now...

not just dotemu, it's also on desura
.
might as well try drascula too , that other freely available game, or ea's abuse.