R "Ray" Wang (2009) states US has similar reading for copyright laws, "To date, the “Exhaustion Rule” also known as the “First-Sale” doctrine has been upheld most recently in the June 2nd 2008 case of Timothy S. Vernor v. Autodesk Inc. In fact the specific ruling cites, “This doctrine is stated in the following statutory provisions: “Notwithstanding the provisions of section 106(3) [17 USCS § 106(3)], the owner of a particular copy or phonorecord lawfully made under this title, or any person authorized by such owner, is entitled, without the authority of the copyright owner, to sell or otherwise dispose of the possession of that copy or phonorecord.” 17 U.S.C. § 109(a). Because a first sale exhausts the copyright holder’s distribution right, future distributions of the copy do not implicate the Copyright Act. Opinion, p.7, citing United States v. Wise, 550 F.2d 1180, 1187 (9th Cir. 1977). A first sale does not, however, exhaust other rights, such as the copyright holder’s right to prohibit copying of the copy he sells. Id. For example, the first sale doctrine permits a consumer who buys a lawfully made DVD copy of “Gone With the Wind” to resell the copy, but not to duplicate the copy. Id." retrieved from http://blog.softwareinsider.org/2009/06/...e-win-over-sap/

so it would seem that company doesn't have legal right to prevent one from selling or using a used copy.

That, dear readers, is a very valid concern.

As much money as any one of us is willing to plunk down for a game, for our flight sim fix, the day neo[] pulls the plug on their servers is the day you must stop flying RoF.

The issue is not completely unprecedented. When NovaLogic released the sim/game F-22 Lightning3, the only way to connect for multi-player was through NovaLogic servers. There was no IP direct connect. L3 was actually quite a good sim/game, and the multi-player was terrific. Until the day NovaLogic shut down their servers. L3 multi-player ended on that day. Even if you and your bestest buddy in the world each had a copy and wanted to fly together, there was (is) no way to connect. But at least you could still fly single-player.

RoF goes a step beyond that. They day their servers go away, a year, 5 years, or 10 years from now, on that day you own a box with a pretty picture on it, a cool map of France in WWI, and a useless DVD. (Perhaps it will still be in-style then to hang them from the rearview mirror in your car, or hovercraft. Hard to say.)

The point, though, is important. As the software is currently designed, you are only RENTING it. You may only continue to play as long as neo[] says so. When neo[] says 'stop,' you must stop on that day. You will not be able to fly even one more mission.

So you're thinking, "Bah... in 10 years, who cares? I'll be so over this sim by then, it won't matter."

That's not giving the sim much credit. My squadron still flies Jane's F/A-18 Super Hornet, which is over 10 years old, yet remains the best and only viable modern-day combat sim to model carrier ops. Jane's and EA dropped any support for the title many years ago, yet we continue to fly it because we own the sim, and are not just renting it like RoF.

Is Rise of Flight as much a ground-breaking sim with terrific potential is its biggest fans claim? It's going to keep on getting better? Then keep this in mind: much like Obama's death panels , when neo[] decides RoF has outlived its usefulness, your 'life' in RoF will come to an end.

And the day it's your turn to die, whatever you want, you won't survive...
You don't own your life man... you're renting it...

Stop believing you can have full control on something (whatever it is...), it just ain't true.

Wow. Profound. Did you come up with that all by yourself?

I think I shall take a few days off from work, climb to the top of the tallest mountain (or at least the highest point in Florida, 345 feet above sea level), sit down and meditate on that.

Very good decision Hedgehog...

BTW: For believer of the obvious, we also offer free beer...

As someone who is interested in, but hasn't yet bought ROF, does this mean that you are out of luck if you must change your e-mail address? (Move, ISP swap, etc)

I don't know if you can change your e-mail address in your account (some say yes, but I haven't tried myself), but you can allways ask neoqb to do it for you.