https://qanda.digipres.org/tag/legal Powered by Question2Answer https://qanda.digipres.org/39/ensure-obsolete-software-legally-digital-preservation-access Old software that is no longer sold or regularly used for business purposes (obsolete software) is currently very difficult to legally acquire and use for preservation and access purposes.<br /> <br /> Can this situation be changed?<br /> <br /> How can we ensure that obsolete software can legally be used with emulation and virtualization tools, or with conserved hardware, to enable future users to access and interact with old digital content with maximum fidelity, integrity and authenticity?<br /> <br /> Currently every library, archive or museum has to contact each software vendor separately in order to try to obtain the necessary software and licenses. That is a very time consuming process and not feasible for small institutions. &nbsp;Furthermore, some vendors have gone out of business or the license owners are not identifiable, leading to legal ambiguity that has a risk associated with it that is often greater that many institutions are comfortable with.<br /> <br /> What options for solving this problem might be available? https://qanda.digipres.org/39/ensure-obsolete-software-legally-digital-preservation-access Wed, 21 May 2014 18:51:22 +0000