Okay, so I'm on the Escapist forums, looking at a thread about HoTU, and someone puts up a link for LTF Abandonware France, where they've got a version of Duke Nukem 3D.
AFAIK, it's the shareware version, but they also have a link to GOG to buy the full version.
However, in a slightly odd move, they also have a message on the right hand side saying "LTF vous presente ses partenaires officiels:" and they have a link to GOG and the EA Store.
Now, I would put money on GOG having no official link to any "abandonware" sites, due to the legal problems that would create, so I wonder why they use the term "official partner" except to try and lend their site the illusion of respectability.
Thoughts people?

EA Store? Whaa?
Also, my high school French has failed me.

except to try and lend their site the illusion of respectability.
I would say that was spot on.

According to: http://translate.google.com/translate_t
It means:
LTF presents its official partners

Linking to a site fine, I can image there is no problem with that. But to call it "officially affiliated" I can't image that's really allowed.

GOG appears to have some sort of linking program; there are similar links on Rock, Paper, Shotgun and RPG Codex--note that each of the three has a different string at the end. These sites have presumably signed some sort of agreement or other, which is why this abandonware site is calling it an "official partnership" (which it is in the loosest sense). Some software companies do a similar thing with the "Microsoft Gold Certified Partner" system, deliberately implying that they are trusted or otherwise partially endorsed by Microsoft, but in fact that is not at all what that program is for.

I'm totally cool with abadonware sites as long as the games hosted for download are either demos/shareware, or they are truly "abandoned", made for free by the rights holders.

To be fair to Abandonware France (also because I used to download lots of games from there last time), they're not a hardcore warez site, passing off legally sold games as abandonware. They do take down the full versions when requested - Doom for example, and Duke Nukem 3D as another
It's a great site, or at least it used to before GOG showed up. Not that I have anything against paying for my old games, but I used to turn to Abandonware France for my nostalgic satisfactions last time

I've also used LTF Abandonware France a lot, they have many old games in french version (not very surprising...), and so far, this site is respectfull with games that are not abandonware, or at least respect publishers when they asked them to not distribute their games.
But I guess some of their games are not really abandonware (but does an abandonware game really exist?...) and are freely downloadable until a right owner ask them to remove it. Fair enough.

Technically, no. The copyright lasts for decades. The term 'abandonware' is simply used for games that are given no support, and are practically in complete disregard of the rights holder. Because of that, some believe it's legal to download these games.
It's a bit of an unfortunate situation though, since nobody is doing anything with them, so giving up the rights or giving permission to distribute them freely wouldn't affect anything at all I reckon.

Is there a separate copyrights legislation for games?
Because copyrights on pretty much everything else (music, books, etc) goes up to 70 years past the death of the creator. I always imagined the legislation would be the same for games and software.

You're correct, copyright for software is the same obscene length as for all other copyrighted works.

Typo. I meant 'decades'.

The website has a page where they explain how they work :
Our definition
In short, what they do is not legal but tolerated. They give away games released before 1998 and which have either become free because the publisher said so (Red Alert for exemple) or that they consider Abandonware as nobody is selling the game. If someone begin to sell one of their games again, they delete it from the site.
And of course, they only distribute a game when the rights owners of the said game never expressed their opposition to a free distribution. They ask right owners to contact them in case they want them to stop distributing the game.
"they use the term "official partner" except to try and lend their site the illusion of respectability."
They don't need that. They have been around since 2000, have been mentionned in several french magazines, nominated as website of the year by Yahoo in 2001 and they have been involved in the writing of many articles about retrogaming in the french press.
The name of the owner of the website is on display and they are registred to the CNIL (which is a commission which monitors the use of personnal data by on the internet by french organisations)
I've been looking around on the EA website, and apparently, they have some sort of program for affiliates. I guess it's the same thing with Good old Games :
The Store provides the website a link, which is unique, and every time someone buys something on the store, part of the profit is given to the website if the buyer came through their link.

Great explanation!