Any game or software, which is no longer supported by its owner or publisher, is described as abandonware. This indicates that the owner of the game or software has abandoned their product because they no longer yield profit from them. There are several abandonware sites, which are conceived as illegitimate, unless the owner of the software has relinquished them as freeware. Generally, abandonware software is not commercially supported, as the copyright ownership might be imprecise for several reasons. Though abandonware software is not legally marketed, they could be obtained by several other means/sources.

The list of software that is being abandoned simply continues to extend! Some products which are temporarily abandoned include OpenStep, NextStep, and several other interactive computer games. Anyone who desires to use abandonware must possess a license string, which accredits the rights to install them onto your machine. Generally, the license string would usually be provided by the website from where you downloaded the abandonware software programs. Software or games that are abandoned will generally be supplied as pricy shareware or as freeware.

Is Downloading Abandonware Software Legal?

Well, this is one of the major conceptions that everyone will buzz about. As the company never exists in the business arena, it never means that the copyright is on hold. The only trouble is that some defunct companies keep letting out free or pirated versions and distribute them with no enforcing copyrights. As a matter of fact, the use of abandonware software is not legal, unless you use them with an authorized license string.