PDROMS has been mentioned as legal freeware rom source in an emulation/retro gaming article published in the “New York Times” on the 30th January 2003! I’m really surprised! The link below points to the article. Unfortunatly you need to make up an account first (It’s free of charge). I guess not everyone wants to register, therefor here is a short cutout. (Copyright 2003 by the New York Times!)

Emulators are easier to download and use nowadays, adding to their popularity. “Most emulators have been around for many years now, and the interfaces have matured”, said Bradford W. Mott, project manager at Stella, a popular Atari emulator. “This makes it easy for the average computer user to have access to them”. But game companies and software trade associations are not pleased with the wide array of games and emulators available online. Most sites carry disclaimers saying that the games are meant to be downloaded only by users who already own a legal copy.Some sites, like pdroms (www.pdroms.de), offer games that are in the public domain and legal for downloading. Intellivision Lives (www.intellivisionlives.com) and other sites have acquired the rights to offer some games online. But many sites offer pirated material and are thus illegal. Some emulator sites are also illegal, since they copy original copyrighted code. Most users don’t seem to care either way, as long as they can play their old games.

As said these are just a few lines… to read the full article visit the page below and sign up for an account.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/30/technology/circuits/30retr.html