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General discussion (archive)OMG! Ultima IV FREE!!! THANK YOU...THANK YOU...THANK YOU!!!(14 posts)(14 posts)
(14 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted September 03, 2011
OMG! Ultima IV FREE!!! THANK YOU...THANK YOU...THANK YOU!!!

GOG.com absolutely RULZ!
Posted September 03, 2011
slowclap
Posted September 03, 2011
But... U4 has been free ever since I got the internet. Back when 28.8 kpbs modems were the norm. I remember downloading it on Lord Soth's games, which was an old website full of demos of DOS & Windows games and a couple of freewares.
Posted September 03, 2011
And this is why GOG releasing free games that were already free elsewhere anyway works in GOG's favour. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad it's here. But it's no major event or anything.
Posted September 03, 2011
Very nice, I already have the game, but GOG is throwing in the cluebook which is rare. Thanks GOG.
Posted September 03, 2011
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Heretic777: Very nice, I already have the game, but GOG is throwing in the cluebook which is rare. Thanks GOG.
It has been available, clue book included, from EA's new official Ultima site, Ultima Forever, for couple months now. Also Ultima IV have been legally freely available for years now. EA only recently reintepreted agreement made by Origin about free distribution of U4. Previously it was intepreted that all Ultima Dragons (UDIC - Ultima Dragons Internet Chapter) were given right to distribute it for free but EA's new intepretion is that only those Ultima Dragons that received the Origin's agreement/license are allowed to do so (despite the email not explitely naming any particular Dragon, only Ultima Dragons as group) and EA legal went rampage with C&D letters forcing all other sources to remove the game from their sites. It's highly unlikely that anyone will contest their intepretion of the agreement in court so what ever EA legal says stands.
Post edited September 03, 2011 by Petrell
Posted September 03, 2011
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Heretic777: Very nice, I already have the game, but GOG is throwing in the cluebook which is rare. Thanks GOG.
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Petrell: It has been available, clue book included, from EA's new official Ultima site, Ultima Forever, for couple months now. Also Ultima IV have been legally freely available for years now. EA only recently reintepreted agreement made by Origin about free distribution of U4. Previously it was intepreted that all Ultima Dragons (UDIC - Ultima Dragons Internet Chapter) were given right to distribute it for free but EA's new intepretion is that only those Ultima Dragons that received the Origin's agreement/license are allowed to do so (despite the email not explitely naming any particular Dragon, only Ultima Dragons as group) and EA legal went rampage with C&D letters forcing all other sources to remove the game from their sites. It's highly unlikely that anyone will contest their intepretion of the agreement in court so what ever EA legal says stands.
They didn't reinterpret it. Anybody can download it for free, but redistribution rights were never included. It's just that in recent times they've gone back to enforcing their rights.
Posted September 03, 2011
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Heretic777: Very nice, I already have the game, but GOG is throwing in the cluebook which is rare. Thanks GOG.
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Petrell: It has been available, clue book included, from EA's new official Ultima site, Ultima Forever, for couple months now. Also Ultima IV have been legally freely available for years now. EA only recently reintepreted agreement made by Origin about free distribution of U4. Previously it was intepreted that all Ultima Dragons (UDIC - Ultima Dragons Internet Chapter) were given right to distribute it for free but EA's new intepretion is that only those Ultima Dragons that received the Origin's agreement/license are allowed to do so (despite the email not explitely naming any particular Dragon, only Ultima Dragons as group) and EA legal went rampage with C&D letters forcing all other sources to remove the game from their sites. It's highly unlikely that anyone will contest their intepretion of the agreement in court so what ever EA legal says stands.
I can't believe people are still playing Ultima Online! I thought this game died along with Everquest years ago especially with the newer online games on the market. Amazing that its still going strong and still has EA support. I've never played it myself, actually I've never played any online game.
Posted September 03, 2011
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hedwards: They didn't reinterpret it. Anybody can download it for free, but redistribution rights were never included. It's just that in recent times they've gone back to enforcing their rights.
(Punt's note: "Boomer" is Mike McCoy of Origin / Jane's Combat sims
he's often seen posting to rec.games.computer.ultima.*,
comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg and possibly others. Full headers and
"extra recipients" snipped for brevity and privacy.)

---mailed to moi. Some non-Ultima-download stuff snipped--
Date: Tue, 21 Oct 1997 07:18:26 -0500
To: mfleming@powerup.com.au
From: Mike McCoy <boomer@cris.com>
Subject: Re: UIV - you mean we can *distribute* it?
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Status: O

At 07:37 AM 10/19/97 +1000, you wrote:
>Boomer,
>
>I've been the recipient of a forward from Edward Franks (Fortran)
>regarding the distribution of Ultima IV and I'm mighty confused..

sorry for the confusion... let's see if I can clarify

1. the U4 distribution in the magazine was intended to be an 'exclusive'
for the mag.
2. Once the mag distribution was over, it was felt nothing much could be
done to stop redistribution of U4 after that
3. KickAss was offering U4 for d/l, but the Dragons couldn't (per a
previous 'restriction' by Origin?)
4. I said, that's not fair to the Dragons... They've been honest about
this. Why not let them offer it as well.. Answer: Your absolutely right..
5. Ergo: email to Fortran Dragon 'OK'ing' the ability to offer U4 for free
d/l by Dragons


----forward from Fortran----
From: Edward Franks <xyzzy@ponyexpress.net>
Subject: Fwd: Ultima IV
Cc: mfleming@powerup.com.au,

<snip>

Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Status: O

>Return-Path: <boomer@cris.com>
>Received: from darius.concentric.net by sleepy.ponyexpress.net
(SMI-8.6/SMI-SVR4)
>id RAA20780; Fri, 17 Oct 1997 17:42:48 -0500
>Received: from mcfeely.concentric.net (mcfeely.concentric.net
[207.155.184.83])
>by darius.concentric.net (8.8.7/(97/09/12 5.7))
>id SAA13835; Fri, 17 Oct 1997 18:45:53 -0400 (EDT)
>[1-800-745-2747 The Concentric Network]
>Errors-To: <boomer@cris.com>
>Received: from crc3.concentric.net (ts001d03.aus-tx.concentric.net
[206.173.144.15])
>by mcfeely.concentric.net (8.8.7)
>id SAA24560; Fri, 17 Oct 1997 18:45:51 -0400 (EDT)
>Message-Id: <3.0.32.19971017174430.0086b100@pop3.cris.com>
>X-Sender: boomer@pop3.cris.com
>X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Pro Version 3.0 (32)
>Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 17:44:32 -0500
>To: xyzzy@ponyexpress.net
>From: Mike McCoy <boomer@cris.com>
>Subject: Ultima IV
>Mime-Version: 1.0
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=3D"us-ascii"
>Content-Length: 285
>Status: =A0=A0
>
>
>Frotran,
>
>Not sure if this should go to you or not. If not, please forward it to the
>appropriate Dragon.
>
>I just got a decision about allowing the Dragons to offer Ultima IV as a
>free d/l (i.e. re-distributing the game on the CGW CD).
>
>Go for it (and kick ass on KickAss ;)
>
>Boomer

Fortran Dragon | "There isn't enough darkness in the world
-=3D=3D{MDLAM}=3D=3D- | to quench the light of one small candle."
Hidalgo Trading Company: http://www.ponyexpress.net/~xyzzy/index.html
Posted September 03, 2011
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Petrell: SNIP
There's a difference between being unable to stop redistribution and granting wide spread permission to redistribute.

There was never permission granted by parties coming across the free version to redistribute it, some individuals like the Dragons were granted specific permission, but AFAIK, it's just the Dragons and GOG at this point with permission. Anybody else is just pirating a free game.

They haven't been particularly heavy handed about enforcing it, but they could without changing permission. And unless that happens, the permission is very specific that the copies are not for redistribution.
Posted September 03, 2011
Don't forget Ultima IV Part 2: Dude, Where's My Avatar? :D.
Posted September 03, 2011
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hedwards: There's a difference between being unable to stop redistribution and granting wide spread permission to redistribute.

There was never permission granted by parties coming across the free version to redistribute it, some individuals like the Dragons were granted specific permission, but AFAIK, it's just the Dragons and GOG at this point with permission. Anybody else is just pirating a free game.

They haven't been particularly heavy handed about enforcing it, but they could without changing permission. And unless that happens, the permission is very specific that the copies are not for redistribution.
The problem is that number of Ultima Dragon run sites offering U4 for download were targeted by recent all out C&D campaign while others were not. After all these years EA seems to state that Origin's agreement allowed only select few Dragons (again, none were named in the emails) to distribute it. There are 15470 Ultima Dragons btw (I'm one of them btw). Yes, U4 was never freeWARE (as freeware requires both right to freely download AND redistribute) but fact is that Ultima Dragons were apparently given right to redistribute the game 14 years ago by Origin.
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JudasIscariot: Don't forget Ultima IV Part 2: Dude, Where's My Avatar? :D.
It's parody so it's protected under US law (fair use) I believe and thus avoided EA's C&D spree. Two web browser based remakes of Ultima 4 were not so fortunate.
Post edited September 03, 2011 by Petrell
Posted September 03, 2011
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hedwards: There's a difference between being unable to stop redistribution and granting wide spread permission to redistribute.

There was never permission granted by parties coming across the free version to redistribute it, some individuals like the Dragons were granted specific permission, but AFAIK, it's just the Dragons and GOG at this point with permission. Anybody else is just pirating a free game.

They haven't been particularly heavy handed about enforcing it, but they could without changing permission. And unless that happens, the permission is very specific that the copies are not for redistribution.
avatar
Petrell: The problem is that number of Ultima Dragon run sites offering U4 for download were targeted by recent all out C&D campaign while others were not. After all these years EA seems to state that Origin's agreement allowed only select few Dragons (again, none were named in the emails) to distribute it. There are 15470 Ultima Dragons btw (I'm one of them btw). Yes, U4 was never freeWARE (as freeware requires both right to freely download AND redistribute) but fact is that Ultima Dragons were apparently given right to redistribute the game 14 years ago by Origin.
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JudasIscariot: Don't forget Ultima IV Part 2: Dude, Where's My Avatar? :D.
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Petrell: It's parody so it's protected under US law (fair use) I believe and thus avoided EA's C&D spree. Two web browser based remakes of Ultima 4 were not so fortunate.
So, Petrell, you gonna hook a brother up with some of that Ultima IV goodness or what, man? I needs my fix! :D
Posted September 03, 2011
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hedwards: There's a difference between being unable to stop redistribution and granting wide spread permission to redistribute.

There was never permission granted by parties coming across the free version to redistribute it, some individuals like the Dragons were granted specific permission, but AFAIK, it's just the Dragons and GOG at this point with permission. Anybody else is just pirating a free game.

They haven't been particularly heavy handed about enforcing it, but they could without changing permission. And unless that happens, the permission is very specific that the copies are not for redistribution.
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Petrell: The problem is that number of Ultima Dragon run sites offering U4 for download were targeted by recent all out C&D campaign while others were not. After all these years EA seems to state that Origin's agreement allowed only select few Dragons (again, none were named in the emails) to distribute it. There are 15470 Ultima Dragons btw (I'm one of them btw). Yes, U4 was never freeWARE (as freeware requires both right to freely download AND redistribute) but fact is that Ultima Dragons were apparently given right to redistribute the game 14 years ago by Origin.
No, the deal never was that wide open, I'm having a hard time finding the specific site that I read that on, which was one of the few authorized sites to carry the game for free. But this follow up article to the original article that reported the DMCA notices explains it adequately.

http://www.ultimaaiera.com/blog/ultima-4-ea-corrections-and-clarifications/

I think this might have been it.
http://www.thatfleminggent.com/ultima/u4download.html
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General discussion (archive)OMG! Ultima IV FREE!!! THANK YOU...THANK YOU...THANK YOU!!!(14 posts)(14 posts)
(14 posts)