Dont believe everything that you see on CNN, specially when they talk about Videogames or Irak War....

I can watch CNN here in Germany too, so I know what I am talking about.

But like I say, even its Illegal to play those MAME games, nobody cares.
I did not hear ever of a case where someone that had MAME roms has getting problems with the Law.

It is illegal, but the FBI won't care. The only way they will ever find ROMs on your computer is if they have information that you have illegal porn on your computer. And even then, most of the time, the FBI only arrest the person for the porn and not the ROMs. The only ones who ever get caught for having ROMs are the people who distrubte the ROMs on websites/file sharing programs. If you have ROMs on your computer and call the FBI and tell them that you do, they won't care and they will probably take you call as a joke call and arrest you for prank calling the FBI. So. while it is illegal, nobody will care if you have them on your computer for personal use. As long as you don't distrubte them, you won't ever get in trouble.

agreed

does MAME cost money?

It's free.

The thing is... where would some software houses be without MAME?
Would anyone still remember games like Bucky O'Haire, Mr. Do!, Puzzle De Pon, Snacks'n Jackson or Tickee Tickats? I bet most of you didn't even know these games existed! MAME is public service, illegal or not, it's giving companies and games that were dead some refreshed visilbility, it's resurrecting the memories of what videogames were and companies like Nintendo who act clearly against emulation will get what they desearve when in 30 years time no one will remember their Crapcubes and silly blue rabbits with mushrooms games. Any company who takes legal action on any website distributing ROMs from games they have no way of selling in the next 3 thousand years is shooting their own feet IMO.

I loved Bucky o' Haire!

Testify.