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Sumone157, it's not illegal to have a backup, if you produce it yourself. It is illegal to download backups, even if you have an original copy of it.
For example: If you make a backup copy of a game you own, such as Super Mario Sunshine, that is a legal backup, as long as the original is not in use. So, lock the original game up somewhere where it can't be used, and you can use the backup without any worries.
If you own Super Mario Sunshine, then download it off the internet, it is illegal.
If you own Super Mario Sunshine and make a backup with your own gear, then turn around and play the original on one GC and the backup on another, that is illegal.
You are legally allowed to have a maximum of 1 backup copy of your game, for each original copy you own. If a backup gets destroyed, you are allowed to make another backup, but only from the original media, and only if you do not have both the original AND the backup in use at the same time.
And no, the infamous "24 hour rule" in the ROM/Emulation arenas, is not legal. If you do not own the original, you may not have a backup. If you own an original but do not have the hardware to make a backup, you may not have a backup. There are a few exemptions to this, but they're usually on a district-by-district basis, such as individual states which allow you to obtain, from any source, a backup of the original media you own, but even then it's only as long as it is a 1:1 copy. Any modifications, such as adding a scene screen or ripping the garbage data, render the backup an illegal copy.
Hope this helps ya out. :)
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