One Disc, one shot??

[unmerged(156773)]

pardon the interruption from a newbe, but I loaded the game on one computer in my house and later wanted to load it on another conputer in a different room. The message i got was disc already registered.

Is it possible to use the game in two different locations without uninstalling it or is it one and done?

Thanks.

 

[unmerged(141708)]

I bought mine from Gamersgate and had no problem installing on more than one computer. Where did you get yours? You bought the boxed version?

 

[Ionus]

Strictly speaking, you can only legally buy a game for one computer. This can cause problems with upgrades where all you have in common with the originally computer is the keyboard.

You are allowed to make back up copies to protect your investment but not for sale or hire.

If you wish to run it on two computers, their connection to the internet is probably what is telling them they have the same game. Some games wont let you play if it is not registered via the internet on each installation to prevent people disconnecting the internet and playing anyway.

If you wish to play LAN with another person, legally you should own two copies. However, some games will allow you to do that. There are also illegal "cracked key" downloads that will enable you to play on two computers, but if you use the internet with them you run the risk of having your genuine copy licence revoked, your internet provider asking you to please explain why you should not be disconnected and legal action from the publishers.

Having said all that, I caution you about going to websites that have a "cracked key" to enable games to be played on LAN. They are sometimes sponsored by porno web sites and can be riddled with viruses.

The problem is simple: it costs millions of dollars usually to develop and market and game. Most of the profit is in publishing and distributing with the developer having the majority of the expense, the majority of the risk and the minority share of profits. Some games are no longer available because they were economically killed by piracy.

If you wish to play a LAN game with another member of the family, disconnect the internet and see if it will let you. I would be very surprised if anyone was ever prosecuted for this.

 

[delra]

No. Legally speaking you can buy the game for one person. So if you want to play EIC on your laptop and your PC you are free to do so. Stardock don't mind you activating your game more than once as long as it isn't done 50 times a day from 50 different IPs and with 50 different e-mails. That's fraud. Read their FAQs, it's all in there. Stardock is the on-line activation service provider for EIC.

About cracks and stuff, with all due respect, it's BS this whole scary talk you posted here. Those cracks are published by the scene groups who really care about rep and who hate releasing broken stuff. Some of those groups are pirating since Amiga era under same name. And ISPs usually don't give a damn about people pirating, it's too common and they would lose too many clients if they started going after pirates. Pirates would simply go to less caring ISP.

Still I'm kind of sick hearing the whole Robin Hood agenda of pirates and myself (as the icons under my avatar state), I prefer to buy games I like just to support devs so more games of this kind like EIC or EU or HOI are made. They are worth every penny.

 

[unmerged(141708)]

I like to play on my laptop...at the end of a long day...horizontal...not sitting at my desktop. So, I usually ask companies ahead of time if the software I am interested in buying can be used on two computers, but not at the same time.

There are some that license to a single computer. When I explain why I need to work at two different computers...most make allowances for that. This is mostly in the 3d graphics field. Some will charge a little more for this...but most are pretty accommodating.

 

[Ionus]

No. Legally speaking you can buy the game for one person. So if you want to play EIC on your laptop and your PC you are free to do so. Stardock don't mind you activating your game more than once as long as it isn't done 50 times a day from 50 different IPs and with 50 different e-mails. That's fraud. Read their FAQs, it's all in there. Stardock is the on-line activation service provider for EIC.

About cracks and stuff, with all due respect, it's BS this whole scary talk you posted here. Those cracks are published by the scene groups who really care about rep and who hate releasing broken stuff. Some of those groups are pirating since Amiga era under same name. And ISPs usually don't give a damn about people pirating, it's too common and they would lose too many clients if they started going after pirates. Pirates would simply go to less caring ISP.

Still I'm kind of sick hearing the whole Robin Hood agenda of pirates and myself (as the icons under my avatar state), I prefer to buy games I like just to support devs so more games of this kind like EIC or EU or HOI are made. They are worth every penny.

The buyer/user is licensed. Some companies have won the right to copy protect by limiting that to one computer. The argument is that you can only use one computer at a time, and strictly speaking you should unistall it from one and install it to another. Your rights in copywrite law vary from country to country. As for upgrading computers, that has caused problems for many. I am sorry that you have not been made aware of it.

What one company allows is not a indication of the law but more a marketing strategy. At some stage they will optimise between copy protection and annoying the customer.

It was brave of you to generalise about pirate sites. What I said holds true as a danger. Try to remember you are talking about people who break the law. Does that sound like people who care about their rep?

I have a letter from an Australian ISP stating exactly what I said before. It was from a complaint made by a US company when my son got his hands on a pirated copy. Are you sure ISP's dont give a damn ?

A company a friend was working for was bankrupted by pirated copies. He lost his job.

I have been playing since Amiga days, and I have professional knowledge of everything I said. I found your comments offensive and insulting. I suggest to you that in future you dont guess. Get more facts and experience before telling me what I said is BS.

 

[Fredrik II]

pardon the interruption from a newbe, but I loaded the game on one computer in my house and later wanted to load it on another conputer in a different room. The message i got was disc already registered.

Is it possible to use the game in two different locations without uninstalling it or is it one and done?

Thanks.

There shouldn't be a problem registering on several machines. I'll look into it.

Fred

 

[delra]

Laws may vary but Stardock rules are the same everywhere. And Stardock themselves make it clear that it's fine for you to activate on multiple machines as long as it's you using them. Like I said, read their FAQs before you start spreading BS and making people paranoid asking them to do silly things like installing and uninstalling the game all over again so they actually go over activation limit and get themselves into trouble.

(when I was writing this, FredrikII himself (!) just wrote there shouldn't be a problem activating on multiple machines...)

About company piracy, they deserved bankruptcy if they stole their tools of work and I don't pity them at all, neither pity your friend. They had it coming.

 

[Ionus]

Laws may vary but Stardock rules are the same everywhere. And Stardock themselves make it clear that it's fine for you to activate on multiple machines as long as it's you using them. Like I said, read their FAQs before you start spreading BS and making people paranoid asking them to do silly things like installing and uninstalling the game all over again so they actually go over activation limit and get themselves into trouble.

(when I was writing this, FredrikII himself (!) just wrote there shouldn't be a problem activating on multiple machines...)

About company piracy, they deserved bankruptcy if they stole their tools of work and I don't pity them at all, neither pity your friend. They had it coming.

Do you read what I write or just imagine it ? I never said install and reinstall. I was saying what the law may require. The company went bankrupt because of piracy, they were not pirates. Different companies have different policies. Perhaps you should go to a native language web site instead of an english language one. Or perhaps you should stop the BS yourself and admit you dont know what you are talking about.

 

[delra]

Do you read what I write or just imagine it ? I never said install and reinstall. I was saying what the law may require. The company went bankrupt because of piracy, they were not pirates. Different companies have different policies. Perhaps you should go to a native language web site instead of an english language one. Or perhaps you should stop the BS yourself and admit you dont know what you are talking about.

Dude, you started your first post here with words:

Strictly speaking, you can only legally buy a game for one computer.

Stardock FAQ says:

There is some flexibility to allow installing on your laptop and home PCs, home and work PCs, and similar situations.

And later in the thread FredrikII, Paradox CEO wrote:

There shouldn't be a problem registering on several machines.

It confirms what I wrote, not what you wrote but feel free to prove that wrong.

 

[unmerged(149566)]

There shouldn't be a problem registering on several machines. I'll look into it.

Fred

What a silly argument. You are both right and both wrong. Technically speaking copyright limits you to make a copy for backup purposes, the fact that the TPM (Stardock) might allow you to install it in several places doesn't give you the right to run multiple instances and at any rate that right is not theirs to give. It belongs to the game producers and/or their publishers depending on contractual agreement. I suppose Nitro might have given away their rights to the producers of Stardock but I think that unlikely.

Now the publisher saying that he will look into something should not be taken as confirmation that it is so. He offered an opinion not policy. All the same it is unclear whether he has the right to dictate policy (as publisher) and has to consult the Stardock people, whether it is the Nitro people he needs to consult and in any case it will likely be a bunch of lawyers.

I get a bit tired of people speaking authoritatively when they are seemingly only players.

I know nothing and I freely admit it.

 

[Fredrik II]

What a silly argument. You are both right and both wrong. Technically speaking copyright limits you to make a copy for backup purposes, the fact that the TPM (Stardock) might allow you to install it in several places doesn't give you the right to run multiple instances and at any rate that right is not theirs to give. It belongs to the game producers and/or their publishers depending on contractual agreement. I suppose Nitro might have given away their rights to the producers of Stardock but I think that unlikely.

Now the publisher saying that he will look into something should not be taken as confirmation that it is so. He offered an opinion not policy. All the same it is unclear whether he has the right to dictate policy (as publisher) and has to consult the Stardock people, whether it is the Nitro people he needs to consult and in any case it will likely be a bunch of lawyers.

I get a bit tired of people speaking authoritatively when they are seemingly only players.

I know nothing and I freely admit it.

Re-phrasing. We will make sure you can install on multiple machines.

Happy?

 

[Ionus]

Bilbous

As you say I seem to be only a player. I have no qualifiactions in International Corporate/Copywrite Law, but I am qualified in law. I wanted to take the opportunity to point out several important aspects:

1. We all enjoy these games but copywrite protection has become essential because of pirates. They robbed in the old days and they still do. Companies are increasingly desperate to protect their investments. One game in particular has sold only 10% of the copies being used. This has led to the business being increasingly draconian in its approach, something that was never there in the early days.

2. The law is complex. Approach with caution. I thought I could contribute something to someone else's understanding by a quick skim across the top.

I take offense to a PC-armed Polish peasant telling me I am talking BS and dont know the law when they clearly have read half of what I have said, understood nothing of what they read, and were only too happy to fill in the blanks with their imagination. He keeps citeing one case. This is so dumb that for a moment I thought he wasnt serious.

Before escalating the language in situations like this, delra, you might want to reflect that not all of us are haveing a good time, and politeness goes a long way.

I appreciate your attempt to diffuse the matter, bilbous, but if it isnt too much trouble, could you tell me where I was wrong ? For the others who were following the "debate". If you keep delra out of it, I promise to stay cool.

 

[delra]

a PC-armed Polish peasant

I will report your insult to moderators and ask them to ban you from the forum for 1. spreading lies about EIC license and misleading people who are asking for help 2. insulting and antagonizing people.

You clearly are out of arguments here so you refer to insults. That's just sad. Even I, a PC-armed Polish peasant was thaught better than that.

 

[Ionus]

I will report your insult to moderators and ask them to ban you from the forum for 1. spreading lies about EIC license and misleading people who are asking for help 2. insulting and antagonizing people.

You clearly are out of arguments here so you refer to insults. That's just sad. Even I, a PC-armed Polish peasant was thaught better than that.

Are you threatening me ? Because I would prefer you to do it rather than bore me. I will respond by asking them to ban you from the forum for unqualified advise, insults, arrogant assumptions based on a lack of qualifications and over active imagination and antagonising people with a rude and high handed manner. Even I, when I am talking BS know that piracy is a huge problem and should not be glorified by a PC-armed Polish peasant. By the way, which part did you find insulting ?

 

[delra]

Dude, I think this is the moment you should admit you were wrong about EIC license not allowing to activate on more than one machine and also apologize for your insults... not doing whatever you've just done.

It's your chance to show you're a mature person and end all this. Also think, what if your son reads your posts here calling people names instead of admitting you were wrong?

 

[Ionus]

If you read what I said I never once mentioned EIC. I was talking in general so the person would have some idea where to start. You were the first insult me by telling me I was talking BS. I wasnt. Everything I said was correct in general application. I refained from making any comment about EIC because I do know something about the law and that is it has many exceptions. Any fool can know the law, it takes a lawyer to know the exceptions. Even then it takes a current solicitor to know how the latest decisions are going.

Your comments were amateur, though I understand you were talking about specifically EIC. I never was. I didnt know so I was explaining the law in general. Have a look at the record. I was trying to help and you were running me down.

You apologise, tell me which part of a PC-armed Polish peasant you object to and I will consider an apology upon receipt of yours.

Nice one, DUDE !

 

[delra]

Exactly. You had no idea what you were talking about and you misled the person asking for help. At least apologize to that guy.

 

[Fredrik II]

Calm and easy. Take a deep breath.

See; we can all be nice to each other. Thread locked.

Fred

 

[Fredrik II]

Just checked:

There are no limits per CPU. When a user installs the game on another PC (or reinstalls it on their PC later), they must provide the same email address & serial number combination they used when first registering the game.

If he messed up his email address on the initial activation, pls send the serial key to support@paradoxplaza.com and we'll help you out.