US Copyright Office Refuses to Accept Video Games Preservation

The Video Game History Foundation has suffered a blow to its game preservation plans as the US Copyright Office rejected its request to change DMCA rules to help keep old titles accessible.

As reported by Insider Gaming, the VGHF claims that 87% of all games released before 2010 are "virtually inaccessible" and wants the Copyright Office to bend the rules so it can save them.

Earlier this year, the VGHF and the Software Preservation Network (SPN) reasoned that researchers should be exempt from DMCA and access games in libraries and archives. However, the Entertainment Software Association the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and the Advanced Access Content System (AACS) pushed back, afraid people would lie about their academic credentials and use the libraries as an "online arcade."

Now, the US Copyright Office closed the lid on the case more firmly, saying the VGHF "did not propose a clear requirement to know who the users are or why they want to access a game."

The VGHF isn't going to stop, though, but I think it really needs to rewrite its proposal, making the terms of access more transparent and thought-through.

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