The Officiak Org Swap Shop.

[The Foolish Horseman]

I saw this concept on the internet.

It is where you swap a Dvd for a dvd a game for a game, or computer hardware for nothing (as slug is doing for our american cousins.)

All you have to do is pay postage.

Right, commence deals!!

[TevashSzat]

I can already picture lawsuits for copyright infringement ...

[UltraWar]

I can already picture lawsuits for copyright infringement ...

Agreed!

[Caius]

Its that patented?

[The Foolish Horseman]

it is legal my friends

[Slug For A Butt]

Copyright infringement? How? Surely it is no more illegal than reselling a game as happens all the time on ebay, it's just that the price is another game instead of cash?
Or are we talking about copyright infringement of the idea? It's just another market surely...

[TevashSzat]

This is essentially just sharing games among each other only paying minimally for the shipping costs. All of the companies that makes the dvds and games had it in their minds that when someone bought a game they were buying it for him and himself only not himself along with 10 other friends

[Lemur]

No matter what the industry may want you to believe, and no matter how strangely they may write their EULAs, trade is legal. Has been for most of human history. The only people who ever made a good go of stamping it out were Stalin and the RIAA.

[Slug For A Butt]

This isn't about 10 other friends fraudulantly cashing in on 1 bought game. This is a trade, whether for cash or other suitable recompense is irrelevant. Nothing is being fraudulantly traded. Why would I be allowed to buy a second hand Diablo 2 for cash and yet not buy it for something else of equivelant value?
Fraud is illegal (and quite rightly so), trading is not illegal otherwise you would never be able to sell even your car. It matters not what you are trading/selling it for.

[Lemur]

FWIW, the RIAA sponsored legislation to make it illegal to re-sell or trade CDs. True story. That was before they hit on the winning business model of suing their customers en masse.

[BlackAxe3001]

The RIAA can...nevermind. Don't get me started...

At any rate, this sounds like a good idea except for a few things... GBB, since you started the topic, what are you offering up and what are you looking for in return? Also, what guarantee do we have that if I send you per say, Supreme Commander, that I will get MTW in return and that you won't screw me over and keep my Supreme Commander and not send MTW? Yeah... Good idea though.

Also, fix your title... Officiak should be Official

Thanks

[Slug For A Butt]

Does the RIAA have any power outside of America? Just wondering. And yes, the RIAA are a set of penises, but I suppose they've got to justify their jobs somehow.

[Lemur]

Does the RIAA have any power outside of America?

Well, there's the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), but I suspect there are little RIAAs in most every major economic zone. Don't know if they're all as crazy out-of-control as the one we have in the U.S., however.

I'm going to look through my games and see which ones I never intend to play again. I know that copy of Gun for PC isn't going back in the drive. I'd happily trade it for a copy of the original Deus Ex.

[doc_bean]

I believe reselling is legal in almost any country in the world, though not really popular for PC games. It doesn't always work with games that have a license code I believe (or very special copyright protection).

I'm all for it if some more Europeans would join, paying postage to the US doesn't sound like the best idea ever. BTW should this be in the Arena ?

Oh well, anyone interested in a copy of Planescape Torment ?(just the cd case and the game, I don't think i still have the manual or box) Silent Storm, Black&White or Against Rome ?

[Mikeus Caesar]

Anyone willing to trade for a copy of Tribes: Vengeance, Unreal Tournament 2003 or Black and White 2?

I seriously think this whole swap-shop thing is a great idea, and i'll be more than willing to do it. I want some new games, but if i was to resell these games to a gameshop, i'd probably only get £10 for them each because they're old and preowned.

[TevashSzat]

BlackAxe do bring up a fine point as what is to stop anyone from just creating a new account and say they are going to trade games but end up just taking yours

[doc_bean]

Well, I'm not going to trade with people I don't 'know' or have a t least a bit of a reputation on the org...

Besides, when trading old games, it's not like you're risking a vast fortune, I'd consider ebay just a big a risk. I would enjoy some sort of privacy policy though, I'm not fond of the idea of everyone being able to discover my adress, even if I move every few years.

Time to call out the Org lawyers !

[sapi]

I'm sure that everyone here can understand the potential legal problems that this thread presents, including the potential for fraud and the potential for the trading of copyrighted and illegal copies of games and other software.

As such, it must be made clear that neither totalwar.org, telefragged, nor any of the employees or members thereof are in any way accountable for any trades made as a result of this thread.

In addition, a few points need to be raised. Firstly, this is not an 'official' Org initiative, and it should not be seen as such. We cannot and will not facilitate trades publicly. On the same note, no negotiation or finalisation of deals should take place in this thread.

Posting something along the lines of 'Wanted: product x; Offering: product y' is fine, but any further action should be discussed in private.

Take responsibility for your actions, because it's not our job to do so.

[naut]

Saved me from typing pretty much the same thing there sapi.

I've got some old games, I'll sift through them and post any interesting ones. But then again postage to Australia would be ridiculous.

[Mikeus Caesar]

sapi took the words right out my mouth.

And with regards to the whole postage costs thing - why not restrict trades to being between you and people on your continent?

And as for people worrying about getting ripped off - the whole thing is built on trust. You lose your game, then everyone loses their trust for that person, and i doubt they'll be getting anymore trades done.

[TevashSzat]

But still....If you say someone didn't give you back your game or give you what you traded for, that person will probably deny it and before you know it there is going to be a flame war

[BlackAxe3001]

Exactly. (grabs flame thrower)

A good idea no less, but I will have to pass. I mean, I trade computer parts and games all the time with my coworkers and friends, but the anonymity of the internet makes it too easy to scam people.

[sapi]

@Xdeathfire - that wouldnt' happen, because you would not be organising this on the forums and you would not come here to complain if something went wrong...

[Beirut]

Gentlemen,

For now, if any member wants to buy/sell/trade a game, please do it through PMs, not on the boards. Until this has been given due consideration by the Admins, we'll keep the issue theoretical.

Any thread discussion of trading pirated games will, of course, result in a very public execution.

[TevashSzat]

sapi- of course that wouldn't happen. This is all just hypothetical