Is it illegal to download abandoned apps no longer sold on Google Play Store?

Question

Lets say you want to buy an app. Specifically Super Monkey Ball 2 which is no longer sold because it is unsupported by newer versions of android.

The game runs great in newer versions of android.

You just can't buy the game anymore.

Here are the games by Sega and there's no Super Monkey Ball.

So, you can't buy the game if you wanted to!

So, is it illegal to get the game in an unauthorized way since the game has been abandoned by the copyright holder?

This situation is sometimes informally called "abandonware" but that term is almost certainly inaccurate. Copyright gives you the right to publish, not an obligation. If a copyright holder decides to stop publishing the work for some reason, that does not change the legal status of unauthorized copies. See also: How legal is offering abandonware for download? — Brandin, Nov 14, 2017 at 22:39
Since you can't get it from the owner, you can't get a license. So your usage would be illegal. — Martin Schröder, Nov 15, 2017 at 8:55

Dale M · Accepted Answer · 2017-11-15 23:00:23Z

3

Yes, its illegal

Sega owns the game - they can do what they like with it - including nothing. You can't.

answered Nov 15, 2017 at 8:38

Dale M♦

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