Are Dolphin ROMs legal?

While downloading emulation software like Dolphin is not illegal, the act of uploading and downloading ROMs (copies of the games) without proper authorization is against the law.
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Is it legal to use Dolphin emulator?

Projects like Dolphin are seemingly not illegal, given they can be used to run homebrew games and applications, developed by fans of an abandoned console. And the emulators themselves most often contain no pirated material or illegal software.
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Why did Nintendo sue Dolphin?

This emulator illegally circumvents Nintendo's protection measures and runs illegal copies of games. Using illegal emulators or illegal copies of games harms development and ultimately stifles innovation. Nintendo respects the intellectual property rights of other companies, and in turn expects others to do the same.
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Are ROM games illegal?

But while emulators are free and legal, ROMs are not. A person can go through the tedious process of copying game data off their disc or cartridge to their computer, but nine times out of 10, people who have ROMs probably just downloaded them off some corner of the internet.
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Are emulator consoles legal?

For emulators it's always legal to play. Where people get into trouble is trying to sell systems of newer emulators with the games that go with them. True retro games (systems released by 2007) you're completely safe to download and play all the roms etc. even if you don't own the systems.
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Why Are Emulators Legal? Dolphin vs. Nintendo, and the Fate of Emulation

Do people get punished for downloading ROMs?

If you own a game physically, you are likely to emulate or own a ROM of the game. However, there's no legal precedent in the United States to say it's illegal. There is no trial on record of any company going to court over emulators or ROMs and their use.
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Can emulators get you banned?

No, if You use an Emulator, It does not Ban You. The Game detects if You are using an emulator and matches You with players playing using an Emulator. But, if You use a Keyboard and Mouse Directly while Playing a Mobile Device.
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Do ROMs count as piracy?

Pirate copies of game files are often referred to as “ROMs”. The uploading and downloading of pirate copies of Nintendo games is illegal.
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How do I legally get ROMs?

One way to acquire legal ROMs is backing up official copies of the games from owned physical medium using cart readers or modded consoles. As long as a physical copy is owned, it is considered to be legal to use a digital copy for personal use.
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Why is downloading a ROM illegal?

Game companies and copyright law don't care if they don't publish or make profit of their old games anymore, it's their copyright and they will consider this as a form of piracy.
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Did Dolphin emulator get shut down?

We are abandoning our efforts to release Dolphin on Steam. Valve ultimately runs the store and can set any condition they wish for software to appear on it. But given Nintendo's long-held stance on emulation, we find Valve's requirement for us to get approval from Nintendo for a Steam release to be impossible.
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Why is Nintendo against emulation?

Emulators developed to play illegally copied Nintendo software promote piracy. That's like asking why doesn't Nintendo legitimize piracy. It doesn't make any business sense. It's that simple and not open to debate.
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Did Nintendo sue a guy named Mario?

— Many claim that the famously litigious Nintendo have gone too far after suing a man with the same common first name as their iconic mascot. “This is crazy, I've done nothing wrong,” said Mario Romano, a local mechanic who insisted he's never been to the mushroom kingdom and does not know any royalty.
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Why was Dolphin taken down from Steam?

Nintendo's newest DMCA prevents the popular emulator from growing even further. Dolphin, the extremely popular video game emulator, was set to have a PC version on Steam, but it's since been delisted from the platform.
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Does Dolphin only emulate GameCube?

Dolphin is a free and open-source video game console emulator for GameCube and Wii that runs on Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S. x86-64 CPU with SSE2 support.
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Is Steam threatened with legal action by Nintendo?

Steam is threatened with legal action by Nintendo and issued to remove a product from its storefront. The PC Steam storefront is not only packed with AAA big hitters, DLC, and indie darlings but also software such as the Nintendo Wii and GameCube emulator known as Dolphin.
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Will Nintendo sue me for downloading ROMs?

It is illegal to download a Nintendo ROM from the internet whether or not you own an authentic copy of that game.
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Can I emulate switch games legally?

As long as you don't download any ROMS that you don't own, Nintendo Switch emulators are completely legal to use. Before installing an emulator, check if the games you want to play are compatible, so you know which emulator would work best for you.
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Are Atari ROMs legal?

It is supposedly illegal, but if the copyright holder knows about a use of their ROMs and doesn't do anything, there exist and "implied license" allowing their use. Source: here. Providing a means to download these ROMs is not illegal, it is allowed.
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Is piracy ever prosecuted?

Criminal procedure can be hard to navigate when it comes to this offense. And federal criminal charges related to piracy can be very severe. Such criminal charges take the shape of felonies that can tarnish a criminal record in debilitating ways. Piracy charges can also lead to life in prison.
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Do emulators trigger anti piracy?

Emulators make software piracy possible by circumventing anti-piracy countermeasures on video game systems.
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Why is emulation legal?

While emulation software itself are legal, emulating games is only so when legitimately purchasing the game physically and ripping the contents. Freely downloading or uploading game ROMs across various internet sites is considered to be a form of piracy, and users may be sued for copyright infringement.
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Can you get banned for using Dolphin emulator on Xbox?

A few months ago, the Xbox team announced that emulators running in "retail mode" would no longer be legal, and banned all emulators from the Microsoft Store.
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Why isn t emulation illegal?

Since the emulator itself doesn't include a copy of that crucial copyrighted BIOS software, it can generally be freely distributed without much legal risk.
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How are handheld emulators legal?

Emulators typically do not include the BIOS or the firmware used to perform hardware initialization, runtime services and programs needed to emulate the given game. Therefore, emulators themselves are typically legal. If a specific emulator contained the BIOS image within the archive, this could be challenged.
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