Video game preservationists have lost a legal fight to study games remotely

Video games in the form of computer programs embodied in physical or downloaded formats that have been lawfully acquired as complete games, that do not require access to an external computer server for gameplay, and that are no longer reasonably available in the commercial marketplace, solely for the purpose of preservation of the game in a playable form by an eligible library, archives, or museum, where such activities are carried out without any purpose of direct or indirect commercial advantage.

Any electronic distribution, display, or performance made outside of the physical premises of an eligible library, archives, or museum of works preserved under this paragraph may be made only for a limited time and after the eligible institution acts to ensure that users seeking off-premises access to works are doing so primarily for the purposes of private study, scholarship, teaching, or research by: 1) specifically determining that the user’s interest is private study, scholarship, teaching, or research, 2) instituting access restrictions appropriate to the nature of the use and the material, and 3) notifying users that they are receiving access to copyrighted material subject to adherence with applicable laws.