Why aren't ----simfiles---- illegal?

iGalaxy · Trick Member Joined: 11 May 2006

There are offical simfiles.

Why aren't they illegal?
Why would people go out and pay $50 for ITG, DDR, and PIU when they can just download all the songs for free?

And then there are unoffical simfiles.

Why aren't these illegal either? To create any simfile, you have to use a mp3 files.
Bascially, these simfiles are giving away free music. Why pay for songs when you can download them for free?

If someone could tell me if it's illegal or not, I'd appericate it.

-Scorpion- · Trick Member Joined: 16 Feb 2005

Guess what, they are illegal

However, the simfile syncing is different/worse from the DDR games and stepmania with usb adapters sucks a**, so the original games are still more fun.
Unofficial simfiles are afaik illegal, too, because of the mp3s you mentioned. They are not "as illegal as officials", though, because the stepcharts are selfmade and therefore not property of Konami.

iGalaxy · Trick Member Joined: 11 May 2006

Thank you. However, if all simfiles are illegal, why are there thousands online? Shouldn't somebody be shutting these people down?

-Scorpion- · Trick Member Joined: 16 Feb 2005

Hm, good question.
I'm not sure, but I believe I heard a law that allows you to publish mixes of songs, eg use only elements of it or cut things out to make it fit 90+ seconds. However, I don't know.

Synaesthesia · Posted: Tue May 16, 2006 1:08 pm Post subject:

I'm pretty sure Bemanistyle says you can't do exact duplicates of charts in the simfiles, and the mp3s are distributed under the notion that you're downloading the pack but you already have the song (which of course is usually false, but that's the pretense anyway).
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XohshitztonysbackX · Trick Member Joined: 10 Jan 2006

I buy ddr for home version bc my computer monitor is small and my tv is bigger. Not only that, I like playing ddr with background videos and some cant be found online.

Synaesthesia · Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 7:30 am Post subject:

Which has absolutely nothing to do with the topic at hand.
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Travelsonic · Trick Member Joined: 08 Oct 2005

jpoppyz · Posted: Fri May 19, 2006 8:42 pm Post subject:

heres why they arent illegal.

simfiles are perfectly legal as long as you have the CD that they belong to. Its basically using a song you have and making steps for them. As long as you use them for your personal use only(ie not for profit), theyre 100% legal.

its kind of like how limewire is legal as long as you own the cd the song is on...but why would you DL a song if you have the CD its from?

Flazh · Trick Member Joined: 09 Oct 2003 Location: Leeds, England

Actually, the legallity is dubious at best. There is no clear international law regarding music you own and download, and there is no specific law regarding 'music game note patterns'. The fact is that no-one really cares if you have these as Bemani game music isn't as important to organisations as something like a multi-million dollar album being copied.

In other words, its down to you if you choose to download and use these things or not. The law is murky, and believe it or not, you aren't even really a concern.

Travelsonic · Trick Member Joined: 08 Oct 2005

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

The same rule for MP3 downloading/sharing pretty much applies to simfiles. I don't think you're running much of a risk playing simulated DDR/ITG songs in the privacy of your own home. SIM files, you get it?

Now, setting up a Stepmania machine in a local arcade with songs from DDR/ITG and charging a fee to play, I can see how that would land you in trouble.
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Joel Stud?! · Trick Member Joined: 16 Jun 2005 Location: The ILSTU

If you're that worried about it, there's a group of us trying to create an all legal pack. Check out www.smmix.com. If you want to help with steps/art/theming, or have a song you would like to submit for use in the pack, let us know. We're always looking for new music and people to help out with the pack.

Travelsonic · Trick Member Joined: 08 Oct 2005

[quote]Why aren't these illegal either? To create any simfile, you have to use a mp3 files/[quote]

*apologies if this is a big time bump*

I'm sorry but that is a bad reason for simfiles being illegal. An MP3 is just a file format, and a file format is not illegal. Now, using mp3s you don't have permission to do so is illegal making those simfiles illegal, but I doubt anyboidy would do something that would illegalize simfiles that use music the step coder made him/herself from his/her own music.
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