Amiga Kickstart Roms Download Free

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This Page is designed to download hard to find emulation and bios files such as PSX Bios without going through the hassle of pop-ups. Just click Download and receive the file. DOWNLOAD EMULATORS - UTILITIES - FIRMWARE ATARI. Thanks to the folks who developed P-UAE, which has simplified the Amiga emulation process, allowing kickstart roms to be stored external to the hdf files. This work does not discount any of the hard work that has been done previously (I am looking at you ransom1122), it simply matches the current status of Amiga emulation for RetroArch.

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DISCUSSION

Overview

During the 1990s, after 10 years of successful activity as a Commodore/Amiga software developer, Cloanto found itself in a market that was rapidly collapsing after the demise of Commodore. The difficult decision was thus taken to venture into new fields (e.g. business software and services), while remaining passionately active to preserve and support all things Commodore and Amiga. This meant not only embracing emulation and support of the aging hardware, but also researching the related legal requirements, including the copyrights over the ROM and operating system (OS) files, trademarks, and patents.

Based on this experience, this is an attempt to clarify some points, without providing legal advice. If you need legal advice, please consult a lawyer.

Amiga Forever Background

Amiga Forever contains both multiple emulations of the original hardware, and multiple operating systems that can run on top of this hardware. These operating systems do include different versions of the ROM and operating system files as originally published by the Commodore/Amiga companies. Amiga Forever Classic Support media options are further available to run the same operating systems on 'real' Amiga hardware.

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Cloanto, being the publishers of the Amiga Forever product series and contributor to the operating system, obtained multiple licenses over different versions and components of these original ROM and operating system files, as well as over components designed to provide binary compatibility with the original operating system. This licensing process began before the initial publication of Amiga Forever in 1997. The first operating system distribution licenses date back to before the 1994 Commodore liquidation, by which time Cloanto already was both a co-author and a license holder. Licensing efforts continued for more than 15 years, also resulting in multiple licenses covering the same items. We felt that this was necessary because of a perceived lack of clarity over some transactions which involved the ROM and operating system files, and which at times resulted in controversies (which however never affected Amiga Forever).

C64 Forever Background

C64 Forever was released shortly after Amiga Forever, and aims to preserve and celebrate the 8-bit systems originally released by Commodore before the 'Amiga years'. Unlike the Amiga, which includes both ROM and disk-based OS components, most 8-bit configurations only include ROM-based system code.

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Licensing the System Components

CBM/Amiga files, including Amiga OS files ('Kickstart', 'Workbench', bootblock code, etc.) and the older 8-bit system ROMs (PET/CBM, C64, etc.), are copyrighted and can only be used or distributed under license.

Just like Cloanto initially licensed the ROM and operating system items, and add-on components that required independent licensing, other parties licensed similar items, e.g. for limited use on specific magazine cover disks (e.g. CU Amiga in 1993, PC Intern in 1999, Amiga Plus and PC Magazin in 2000), or with game collections (e.g. the Amiga operating system up to 2.0x as licensed by the German company Epic Marketing, not to be confused with a British company having the same name), or for publishing the Amiga operating system (e.g. Village Tronic Marketing GmbH for 'Amiga OS 3.1', Haage & Partner Computer GmbH for 'Amiga OS 3.5', Hyperion Entertainment CVBA for AmigaOS 4), or for manufacturing entire systems (e.g. Escom AG, MS MacroSystem Computer GmbH now MacroSystem Digital Video AG, Tianjin Family used Multimedia Co., Newstar Electronic Corporation, Rightiming Electronics Corporation, Regent Electronics Corp., Lotus Pacific Inc.)

At the end of 2009, in a settlement agreement between Amiga, Inc. and Hyperion Entertainment CVBA, the following licensees were listed: Cloanto IT srl, Haage & Partner Computer GmbH, Data Storage Advisors AG, eGames, Inc., On Broadband Networks, LLC, Envizions, Inc., and Ironstone Partners (until 2015).

Various licenses were reconfirmed in a 2011 agreement between Cloanto and Amiga, Inc. These include the right to sublicense, and are not limited to emulation purposes. On the trademark side, it was clarified that 'Amiga Forever' and 'Workbench' would be owned by Cloanto.

For maximum public clarity, deposits of works by Cloanto and assignments of Commodore-Amiga copyrights to Cloanto up to Amiga ROM and OS version 3.x were also made at the US Copyright Office in 2007-2009, 2011, 2012 and 2016-2018. This was in addition to the existing licenses, which remain in effect (even without an additional, explicit copyright assignment).

Operating Systems from Original Amiga Systems

One way of licensing a (single) copy of the Amiga ROM and operating system software is acquiring an Amiga computer. This ownership in itself does not grant any right to reproduce the ROM or operating system, and/or use them on other computers, unless this is expressly authorized in the license agreement and/or by law.

In many jurisdictions, it is allowed to make a backup copy of software. One interpretation is that making available such software over the internet, or using it on another computer does not constitute a 'backup'. The transfer and use of one's own ROM and operating system files from an original Amiga to an emulated Amiga hardware environment on another computer may or may not be considered a 'backup', depending on different interpretations.

Additionally, local laws and precedents, as well as a license agreement (EULA) that may have been included with the computer or operating system, may indicate whether it is allowed to use the ROM and/or operating system on a system other than the one with which they were obtained. A transfer 'from one computer to another over a network' was expressly prohibited by the 'Program License Agreement' included by Commodore-Amiga with the Amiga computers. Even lacking an explicit license agreement, one interpretation is that this is not possible. For example, Apple Computer, Inc., successfully opposed the use of original Mac ROMs on boards designed to be mounted inside an Amiga computer for emulation purposes (i.e. to run Mac software on an Amiga).

Vice versa, the Amiga Forever EULA allows the use of ROM and OS files that are included in Amiga Forever as a backup to restore damaged original components of a Classic Amiga computer.

Redistribution on Websites

The proliferation of unlicensed Amiga ROM and operating system files over the internet was one of the reasons for the official endorsement that Amiga Forever received in 1997 by Gateway and Amiga International, two owners of certain Amiga-related intellectual property assets, including (at the time) Amiga-related patents. Still, it remains a common question as to whether Amiga ROM and operating system files may be placed online for unrestricted public download.

The fact that software can technically be reproduced in unlimited copies at a cost tending towards zero is certainly a fascinating concept, however the technical 'can do' is independent of the legal 'can do', and this topic is not open for debate on a website that has to respect legality, and aims to promote and maintain it in the context of Amiga emulation. For this reason, we have to consider other aspects, which include:

  • The fact that multiple licensees, ranging from computer magazines to software publishers to computer manufacturers are able to legally redistribute the Amiga ROM and operating system does not mean the the ROM and operating system are 'free', but rather that they can be licensed
  • The fact that it may be possible to make a backup copy of one's own ROM and operating system files does not mean that the same can be placed online for public access by others
  • Notices such as 'You are only authorized to download the file if you also own the original' or 'You must delete the files within X hours from the download' have little legal value because they are in contrast with the fact that files are made available to anybody without verification, and are based on an incorrect assumption, because only the license that comes with a ROM, and/or applicable laws can validly state what can be done and what cannot be done

If you obtained a license for doing so, we see no reason why you would not be able to offer ROM and operating system files for download. However, without a license, we are not aware of any reason why you would be able to do so, at least until the expiration of the various copyrights (the original Amiga-related patents have already expired), which is expected sometime during the 2080s, or until at least one of the licensees makes his rights available for this purpose. This is already the case, for example, for the Amiga-compatible AROS operating system.

So, the answer to the question 'Can I put Amiga ROM and operating system files on my website?' is that like for everything which is not your own work you need a proper permission (license) before you redistribute it. These items include any that may be owned or licensed by Amiga Corporation, and numerous other items which are the property of Cloanto and of other third-party developers, authors and publishers, and which in general would require similar licensing.

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Cloanto's Position

We like to believe that Amiga emulation has in general been well-accepted also because, thanks to Amiga Forever, it was properly licensed and supported. If that were not the case, the situation of Amiga emulation in 1997 or 1998 could have been similar to what happened to other systems: police raids, legal actions, court battles, etc. Under such circumstances, many programmers, as they have stated, would not create any Amiga emulation software, or any new versions thereof, and there may be little left of the Amiga emulation scene. Instead, Amiga emulation evolved and prospered.

Our long-term goals include the preservation of the Commodore/Amiga legacy (software, printed publications, videos and other works) under a nonprofit and/or foundation organization. The possibility of an open source version of the Amiga OS has also been discussed several times. While progress can be measured year after year, the path remains ridden with legal and technical challenges. We still rely on other projects and on the generous support of Amiga Forever and C64 Forever customers to fund these expensive and time-consuming efforts. While our work includes the release of free versions, we also have to ask for respect for the fact that Amiga Forever and C64 Forever remain commercial packages. This is an important part of what allows us to keep working in our preservation mission.

Because we are licensees of multiple components from different parties, we are part of a chain of responsibilities, both contractual and determined by local jurisdictions, when it comes to information about unlicensed ROM and operating system files, or copies of Amiga Forever. When we receive reports about websites which are claimed to provide such files, we are obliged by law and by contract to take some action. This could be a friendly email to the webmaster, which usually concludes the matter in an amicable and constructive way for all parties, or, more regrettably, it could escalate all the way to the ISP and to local computer crime authorities. When this happens, we consider this a failure, and we too feel bad about this.

We've also experienced a few unfortunate episodes of confusing Amiga Forever 'homepages' using our graphics, texts, descriptions and even HTML keywords and tags. These had to be removed. Similarly, eBay listings occasionally had to be removed, sometimes with the help of third parties (Amiga Forever by Cloanto is listed in eBay's VeRO program page). We don't like doing this, and we most certainly would prefer to prevent such episodes from happening in the first place, which is one of the reasons why this page exists.

Emulation and Piracy

Cloanto publicly stands for legal Amiga emulation since 1997. As supporters of Commodore/Amiga emulation since the beginning and publishers of Amiga Forever and C64 Forever, we are in the difficult position of having to answer to issues of actual software piracy, but also to the prejudice that emulation encourages piracy. For example, we repeatedly asked IDSA to reconsider some of its public statements and positions about emulation. We like to believe that also as a direct result of our efforts, which they graciously acknowledged, their FAQ pages, among others, have been modified in a way that we see as a positive development towards the acceptance of emulation. Similarly, we have been communicating with mobile device manufacturers to improve the perception of classic emulation software in their marketplaces, also where it originally was not even allowed.

We believe that ROM and operating system piracy hurt the cause of emulation just as officially licensed or free solutions help it. Please consider what happened to so many emulators for other systems, and help us keep the current oasis of emulation peace and prosperity. We need all the support we can get in doing things in a legally strong and recognized way, also in new mobile app marketplaces, and challenge the misconception that emulation equals piracy.

Sooner or later the situation will inevitably change (due to the expiration or special exemption status of some copyrights, or because of the quality and diffusion of compatible alternatives, or for other factors), but until then we need your help to preserve the integrity of Commodore/Amiga emulation. Please make sure that any floppy disk images of games and other programs that you may make available through your website have been released for such distribution by the publishers. It does not cost much to ask, and many former software companies have already given their consent to this. Please also include information to this respect on your site, to make other people understand and appreciate this (e.g. 'The disk images on this site have been released by the original publishers for free online distribution'), and include appropriate copyright and trademark notices for each file.

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Other Resources

The Amiga Forever Game Downloads page contains links to some of the sites which have been most successful in obtaining proper rights to offer old Amiga game titles for download. While some of the sites are funded by advertising, the downloads are free.

In addition to the original ROM and operating system files, open source projects such as AROS provide some compatibility with the original system. AROS is both free and easy to license, and includes a 68K build (a project sponsored by Cloanto) with binary compatibility option.

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Links to the Amiga Forever and C64 Forever homepages (www.amigaforever.com, www.c64forever.com) are of course always very appreciated. There is also an affiliate program, if you would like to get more actively involved with supporting our projects. Thank you!

Related Links

Kickstart 3.1

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Kickstart 3.1 (v 40.x) was a further refinement and bugfix of Kickstart 3.0 It was supplied as standard on the Amiga 4000T, Amiga 1200s manufactured by Escom after Commodore declared bankruptcy, and CD32 consoles (along with an additional 512K ROM for CD32 specific features, such as the CD32 CD boot screen and audio CD player interface)

Amiga 3000/4000 Kickstart 3.1 revision 40.55 module list Checksum: 97DC36A2

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Amiga 1200 Kickstart 3.1 revision 40.68 module list Checksum: 87BA7A3E

<- Back to Kickstart 3.0

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