How Legal Is The Pandora?

[EvilDragon]

If the terms and conditions of broadcasted films and TV shows are to be followed you can't actually record them on to tape/dvd/hdd.

What is the legal situation there?

Well, don't know how it's for UK, but in Germany, you are allowed to create a PRIVATE COPY of stuff you legally own (that does also include TV programmes you can receive).
But only as long as whatever you copy doesn't have a copy protection.

Recording broadcasted stuff is legal - as long as you don't break any copy protection, give it away (i.e. it's illegal to record something for your friend) or invite the public to show them the recorded stuff

 

[laurencevde]

The way I see it, but IANAL, from a copyright-POV, most emulators are legal, unless they come with code from the original system(eg bios), or have any form of anti-copy-protection. But most roms don't have any copy-protection anyways. There's simply nothing else in the copyright-law that can otherwise be used against emulators.
Patent-law, however, is a different beast...

As for copying games, here's a part of the US copyright law (source):

(a) Making of Additional Copy or Adaptation by Owner of Copy.— Notwithstanding the provisions of section 106, it is not an infringement for the owner of a copy of a computer program to make or authorize the making of another copy or adaptation of that computer program provided:

(1) that such a new copy or adaptation is created as an essential step in the utilization of the computer program in conjunction with a machine and that it is used in no other manner, or
(2) that such new copy or adaptation is for archival purposes only and that all archival copies are destroyed in the event that continued possession of the computer program should cease to be rightful.​

I need to copy the rom in order to be able to play it on the pandora (or any other pc for that matter), so (1) applies.
It's also allowed to authorize someone to make the copy, IF you have the original, and you can just as well ask so over the 'net (hey, I've got game X, can you make me a copy? Sure, here you go). It doesn't actually state that the new copy has to come from your copy...

 

[belthos]

Everyone should call up their local tv station and tell them that the pandora is being used by terrorist organisations to access the internet and view google maps.
Inform them that it can be used as a giant thumb drive to steal government secrets.
Warn them it is dangerous for our children as it will deprive them of the time necessary to do homework and therefore graduate, causing them to grow up to be on public welfare.

Once the expose shows hit the air you won't be able to manufacture enough of them.

It doesn't matter what anyone says about the pandora in the media, just as long as they spell the name right.

Belthos

85% of music on ipods is pirated... answer ban ipods.
87% of all statistics on the internet are made up on the fly to support the posters point of view.

 

[Tor]

I don't care about gaming at all. I'm buying the Pandora because it's a mobile powerful computer with 2 SD slots and USB, and wi-fi and bluetooth. The TV out may even let me run presentations with it, we'll see. The laptop stays behind.