Is it illegal to play Pokemon ROMs?

A backup or image you make of your own game is legal. Downloading a ROM or backup off the Internet is always illegal unless the copyright holder authorized it.
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Is it legal to play Nintendo 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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Has anyone gone to jail for downloading ROMs?

So, basically, under no circumstances is playing ROMs on an emulator legal. But no one has ever been prosecuted for it – not even once. Mind you, websites sourcing ROMs have often been asked to shut down.
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Is downloading ROMs illegal if you own the game?

No. Any unauthorized copy of a game is a copyright violation. Places try to make up laws to allow for it, but that does not make it true as actualy copyright laws already show such games and emulators to be a violation of said copyright laws.
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Are Pokémon fan games illegal?

The simple answer is yes. Regardless of how someone feels, they can't just use copyrighted material however they want. The passion of a fanbase is wonderful, but I understand where a creator/owner of something is coming from when they don't want their property used without permission.
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Why is this Pokémon Game ILLEGAL?

Is it illegal to play Pokémon on an emulator?

Emulators are legal to download and use, however, sharing copyrighted ROMs online is illegal. There is no legal precedent for ripping and downloading ROMs for games you own, though an argument could be made for fair use.
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Why does Nintendo ban fan games?

The stance of Nintendo, a video game company, towards fan games has historically been hostile, in accordance with their proactive protections on intellectual property (IP) usage. Fan games have been heavily targeted for removal by the company, resulting in numerous DMCA takedowns.
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What happens if you get caught with 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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Are ROMs illegal in the US?

Emulators are legal to download and use, however, sharing copyrighted ROMs online is illegal. There is no legal precedent for ripping and downloading ROMs for games you own, though an argument could be made for fair use.
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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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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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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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What happens if you get caught illegal downloading?

Penalties for Piracy

Maximum penalties for misdemeanor copyright infringement are one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. Maximum penalties for felony copyright infringement generally are: Commercial advantage or private financial gain: five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
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Are gba emulators legal?

The act of downloading an emulator has NO legal repercussions. Emulation is a great and perfectly legal tool that allows you to play games that cannot be played on either your current operating system or device.
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Is Dolphin EMU legal?

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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Is MAME arcade legal?

MAME itself has thus far not been the subject of any court cases. Most arcade games are still covered by copyright. Downloading or distributing copyrighted ROMs without permission from copyright holders is almost always a violation of copyright laws.
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Are Pokemon hacks legal?

Technically, modifying the code of a game is a violation of copyright law, and distributing ROM hacks is illegal. However, many in the Pokémon community argue that ROM hacking is a form of fan art, and that it is done out of love for the franchise.
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Is emulating the same as pirating?

Emulators make software piracy possible by circumventing anti-piracy countermeasures on video game systems. Every Sony PlayStation video game system comes with a special security chip installed that prevents the unit from playing pirated PlayStation games (copies made from the original using a CD burner, for example).
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Are emulators legal in USA?

The only illegal part of an emulator, is the ROM you are playing. If you take a ROM from a website, and play it. That is called piracy. Unless, you OWN the physical copy of the game, and use your own ROM you pulled from that cartridge/disc, it is illegal to play the ROMS.
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Can ROMs be malware?

The emulators themselves are more likely to give you viruses or otherwise compromise your system than the roms are. Of course if you download from the official sources rather than some random mirror site, you're usually pretty safe.
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How to legally get Switch ROMs?

There several Legal Ways to Obtain Switch ROMs without breaking law. One option is to purchase the games from authorized retailers, such as the Nintendo eShop or physical game stores. Purchasing games legally, Supporting Developers publishers also ensuring infringing copyright laws.
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Are game ROMs safe?

Yes, there is a risk of getting viruses or other malware when downloading ROMs from unsafe sites. Stick to reputable sites like those listed in this article to ensure you are downloading clean and safe ROM files. Always scan files with antivirus software before opening as well.
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Does Nintendo still hate fan games?

Unfortunately the answer is yes. Many companies act in different ways to fan games and while some people are quick to jump to Capcom and Sega as people who have embraced fan mods and games let us not act like Nintendo is alone in taking these projects down.
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Has Nintendo ever cancelled a game?

A Wipeout-inspired racing game originally released on PC platforms in 2018, a Switch version was in development for multiple years. However, the game ran on the Unity game engine, and was cancelled in 2023 in response to its controversial run-time fee announced that year.
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Why is Nintendo switch banned?

Hacking, modding, or jailbreaking a Switch are among the most common reasons for Nintendo banning a console. That's because the company takes security seriously, and is very strict when it comes to violations of its terms of service.
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