there is some crap now a days in the pinball industry.
it is becoming harder and harder to buy reproduction or restored parts for a pinball machine.
When Williams closed their doors they didnt sell the rights to manufacture pinball machines (as per the film called TILT).
And if you need a translite or some other kind of art work to get your pin up to scratch if its not being made by a LICENCED bally holder then its illegal for some one to make it and sell it?
In the automotive industry once a car is 10 years old anyone can make an aftermarket part and sell it without someone taking legal action.
also anyone can download a pinball eprom which has video dmd images and sound files from Williams or bally (which is under licence from paramount or some other fillm studio) and program them into an Eprom and sell it as long as they only charge for the labour and the eprom and not the data contained on that eprom.
it is a joke when you own the pin but you can't buy replacement artwork for it because no one with a licence is making it, yet in australia if you buy a dvd, game or a cd you are allowed to copy it or pay to get it copied (backed up) as long as you own an original.
I am not condoning the pirate industry but if you have paid for an original then it is mad that you are not allowed to pay some one for their labour and stock to get your original looking 100%.
Yet it is legal to copy the decals, playfield art or backglass on a pin you own and then sell the whole pin to make a profit or keep the pin (if this is not the case then a lot of people on this site are engaged in illegal activities)
how many of us have repaired a playfield cabinet or backglass by scanning the damaged area and then printing it on a sticker and sticking it back on to the playfield, or airbrushed the damaged area? we are still copying the original copyrighted material.
if you take into account the copyright issuses then it doesn't matter whether it is part of the playfield, back glass or cabinet or the whole thing it is still in breach of the so called copyright.
if it wasn't then any joe blow could scan the art work on any pin break it up into 1000 pieces and sell it piece by piece.
so what is the difference between scanning part of a playfield and getting printed on a sticker or scanning the whole playfield, a back glass or translite and getting it printed?
the saga continues, or does it?
