why isn't there any ads on this forum?

[PhrawzT]

Yep, but:

View attachment 123550

lol

I've donated a couple times. It beats other sites in the past where you needed a paid membership to access the best stuff.

 

[RETRO-VETRO RETRO-VETRO]

This forum could have taken the typical route: monetizing traffic, chasing clicks, and stacking revenue through ads. But instead, they’ve chosen to keep things clean and community-focused. Donations are accepted, of course, but they’ve avoided turning the site into a commercial operation.

Legally speaking, profiting from piracy changes the entire equation. Piracy is already unlawful, as @qw90700 mentioned, but if no revenue is involved, liability usually centers on compensating the rights holder for lost sales. Once profit enters the picture, however, you become liable not only for the damages but also for the income you generated. Additionally, earning money from illegal activity is a criminal offense in itself.

Then there’s the issue of taxation. In many jurisdictions, income is taxable regardless of its source. If you are generating revenue through piracy and failing to report it, you invite scrutiny from tax authorities, especially if you are using standard financial channels. Unless you live in a regulatory vacuum, that poses a serious risk.

Enforcement agencies and rights holders tend to prioritize sites that profit from piracy. Donation-based models are still legally questionable, but they are less provocative. On an international scale, the situation becomes even more complex. Countries do not appreciate being used as safe havens for piracy, particularly when it undermines global trade or another nation’s economy. That is why we see cross-border enforcement efforts, such as Nintendo’s involvement in prosecuting a case in Italy.

We are no longer in an era where local laws operate in isolation. Assuming your country will turn a blind eye to piracy because the losses seem minor is misguided. If it threatens international relations or economic interests, your government may very well cooperate in enforcement, especially if doing so helps preserve diplomatic or trade stability.

So, to put it simply: running ads on this site would mean profiting from piracy.

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

I think it's also an issue of finding ad services or companies that would want to run ads on a illegal ROM website. I think Spike mentioned before a while ago that RGT is essentially blacklisted in most ad companies because of that, outside of some certain types of ads talking about 'hot local singles in your area' if you catch my drift.

VERY true.

In fact, the legendary Abandonia was recently removed from effective membership from several of the oldest Abandonware rings because it's now running gambling ads as part of their operation... The only ones they could possibly get.

They basically burned the farm for heat.

 

[Spike's iconSpike]

The site does cost money to run believe it or not. The forums for the most part are non infringing and could in theory run ads but the problem is not so much the content or copyright holders but users who constantly conspire to take this site down even if they are here every day with thousands of posts. It's really disappointing to see. That's the reason we came up with reader mode and avoid banning too.

 

[RETRO-VETRO RETRO-VETRO]

The site does cost money to run believe it or not. The forums for the most part are non infringing and could in theory run ads but the problem is not so much the content or copyright holders but users who constantly conspire to take this site down even if they are here every day with thousands of posts. It's really disappointing to see. That's the reason we came up with reader mode and avoid banning too.

Even aside from the legal risks, as Spike mentioned, internal sabotage and bad-faith actors make monetization a dangerous move.

 

[ZEGA ZONIC]

Even aside from the legal risks, as Spike mentioned, internal sabotage and bad-faith actors make monetization a dangerous move.

Some of the bad actors are still here, they are just hiding.

 

[Octopus]

Some of the bad actors are still here, they are just hiding.

Sorry guys, I've been found out, it's time to come clean; I'm actually the CEO of Nintendo, whatever his name is. It's me.