IMPORTANT NOTE: --------------- As of May 2019, we, the PinMAME team, are working on replacing the inherited 'old MAME' license (listed directly below) by the 3-Clause BSD License (which is listed at the very end of this file), similar to the achievement of the current MAME team. So note that all new contributions (e.g. via pull requests) being made will automatically be considered as 3-Clause BSD based. Each source file that is already under the BSD-3-Clause will have its very first line marked with // license:BSD-3-Clause Every file that doesn't, will stay (for now) under the 'old MAME' license. Some sub-directories will also feature their own license file, if necessary, that overrides this file here. =============================================================================== =============================================================================== =============================================================================== I. Purpose ---------- PinMAME is strictly a non-profit project. Its main purpose is to be a reference to the inner workings of the emulated arcade machines. This is done for educational purposes and to prevent many historical games from sinking into oblivion once the hardware they run on stops working. Of course to preserve the games, you must also be able to actually play them; you can consider that a nice side effect. It is not our intention to infringe on any copyrights or patents on the original games. All of PinMAME's source code is either our own or freely available. To operate, the emulator requires images of the original ROMs from the arcade machines, which must be provided by the user. No portion of the original ROM codes are included in the executable. II. Cost -------- PinMAME is free. Its source code is free. Selling either is not allowed. III. ROM Images --------------- ROM images are copyrighted material. Most of them cannot be distributed freely. Distribution of PinMAME on the same physical medium as illegal copies of ROM images is strictly forbidden. You are not allowed to distribute PinMAME in any form if you sell, advertise, or publicize illegal CD-ROMs or other media containing ROM images. This restriction applies even if you don't make money, directly or indirectly, from those activities. You are allowed to make ROMs and PinMAME available for download on the same website, but only if you warn users about the ROMs's copyright status, and make it clear that users must not download ROMs unless they are legally entitled to do so. IV. Source Code Distribution ---------------------------- If you distribute the binary (compiled) version of PinMAME, you should also distribute the source code. If you can't do that, you must provide a link to a site where the source can be obtained. V. Distribution Integrity ------------------------- This chapter applies to the official PinMAME distribution. See below for limitations on the distribution of derivative works. PinMAME must be distributed only in the original archives. You are not allowed to distribute a modified version, nor to remove and/or add files to the archive. VI. Reuse of Source Code -------------------------- This chapter might not apply to specific portions of PinMAME (e.g. CPU emulators, or the files featuring already the new BSD-3-Clause) which bear different copyright notices. The source code cannot be used in a commercial product without the written authorization of the authors. Use in non-commercial products is allowed, and indeed encouraged. If you use portions of the PinMAME source code in your program, however, you must make the full source code freely available as well (note again: not for the files featuring already the new BSD-3-Clause). Usage of the _information_ contained in the source code is free for any use. However, given the amount of time and energy it took to collect this information, if you find new information we would appreciate if you made it freely available as well. VII. Derivative Works --------------------- Derivative works are allowed, provided their source code is freely available. However, these works are discouraged. PinMAME is a continuously- -evolving project. It is in your best interests to submit your contributions to the PinMAME development team, so they may be integrated into the main distribution. There are some specific modifications to the source code which go against the spirit of the project. They are NOT considered a derivative work, and distribution of executables containing them is strictly forbidden. Such modifications include, but are not limited to: - enabling games that are disabled - changing the ROM verification commands so that they report missing games - removing the startup information screens If you make a derivative work, you are not allowed to call it PinMAME. You must use a different name to make clear that it is a PinMAME derivative, not an official distribution from the PinMAME team. Simply calling it PinMAME followed or preceded by a punctuation mark (e.g. PinMAME+) is not sufficient. The name must be clearly distinct (e.g. REPinMAME). The version number must also match the number of the official PinMAME version from which you derived your version. =============================================================================== =============================================================================== =============================================================================== The 3-Clause BSD License: Copyright (C) 1999-2026 PinMAME development team and contributors (unless specifically noted differently in a respective source file) Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met: 1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer. 2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution. 3. Neither the name of the copyright holder nor the names of its contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without specific prior written permission. THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.