Hello
I am wondering about the issue of storing backup installers of games from GOG in google drive cloud.
From what I found out opinions are divided and some think we can store games anywhere and some think it is copyright infringement.
I don't know what to think about it so I come here for some clarification.

If it is only accessible by you, then probably you are legally ok. However that is totally beside the point. Why would you even consider doing this? First off, the single and only point of offline installers is that you own it and control it. If you store it on google, if they decide they don’t want your files or you then you lose it, same as online drm. In a different vein, google will have a cap and then you will have to pay. Offline storage, external or internal hdds are dirt cheap, pay once.
Therefore it is financially far more sensible to get some hard drives and store them yourself, under your control. Otherwise just rent them off steam, cheaper, more functionality.

I don't see the point. I mean your GOG version (on GOG.com) is your cloud version. You certainly don't want every copy of your games to also be cloud based, nor have it mistaken for attempted piracy and deleted (possibly with suspending your Google account too). Not to mention very limited space for the "free tier" unless you start paying for the higher tiers which in the longer run ends up more expensive than just buying a couple of 4-8TB external drives.

The point would be to add security to the backup copy.

If you think having only one backup copy, on a single HDD, makes the copy secure and guarantees that it will be yours forever...well, that is woefully inaccurate information.

That HDD could easily receive hardware damage and make the backup copy totally unusable.

Or it could be stolen.

Or there could be a fire and/or other natural disaster which destroys the HDD.

Really, that is no such thing as a "secure" backup: all of them, on any possible device, could potentially be lost, period.

The next best thing, the best anyone can ever possibly hope for, is to have multiple different backups, on multiple different hardware devices, and with not all of the copies stored in the same physical location.

So to that end, having backups on a Cloud storage service is a great idea, in theory.

However, the OP also has a good point in that the storage service would likely object to that on copyright infringement grounds.

So to the OP: you raise a very good question. I personally do not know the answer to it.

Probably you'd need to consult a lawyer, or many lawyers, to get a proper answer. And even if the lawyers say it's legal to do it, that still doesn't mean that the Cloud hosting companies would allow it, even if it's legal.

I think the question is beyond the kind of thing you can get a full & definitive & comprehensive answer to by way of asking random laymen on the internet.

it should be totally fine , you dont sell or share them publicly

On paper, it's likely OK. In practice, you're just a coin toss away from a company finding your links and issuing a DMCA, taking them down.

Using the internet guarantees no security. You are just as likely if not so to lose your access. Where did I say one hardrive? Perhaps you failed to read properly “ some hard drives “, some means more than 1!
Also, where did I say you only need one backup, or that they should all be in one place? I didn’t. The reason I didn’t say that is because you shouldn’t. As many backup drives/setups as you possibly can - as in fact I have posted s any times on this very forum:
https://www.gog.com/forum/general/offline_backup_general_thread
https://www.gog.com/forum/general/storage_and_organisation_discussion
https://www.gog.com/forum/general/questions_for_those_that_back_up_their_games/page1

The single point I was trying to make is that with anything online, it is not under your control. If there is a fire, you should have backups offsite, if a drive fails you should have others, maybe raid as well, maybe some other backup also like tape drives etc. If you lose your access online that is it, you have lost it, very little you can do. Ask anyone who used to used mega before that got shutdown. The internet is just a means of handing off responsibility to others. At worst case, and the OP has to, at gun point use internet storage, then he should have - and let me be clear - he should have multiple offline backups as well.

how can they find them?
that would mean they spy on me and i can sue them for millions

If your Gdrive has room, why not?
An extra copy couldn't hurt.

I can't see where there would be any copyright violation storing your own files in your cloud drive (I'm very much assuming you're not sharing the files with any other account.)
I keep installers of some games on my OneDrive. Not GOG games, though. They'd take up too much space, and for all intents, GOG is my cloud drive for those.

Hi Freyon47,

If we start with the following -facts-
-You paid those games
-You have receipts/transactions to prove it (if necessary)
-You are not sharing them to someone else and/or making any profit from them

Why are you worried about copyright violations?

I think there are other concerns/beauties/uglyness you should prioritize:
-Gdrive vs. download the games directly from gog.com when needed
(Why not? with the long & very well explained reason(s) to -yourself-)
-Are you going to backup your full library or only some games?
-Will your backup consider the goodies too? (maps, manuals, soundtracks, etc)
-What platforms are into your backup? (Windows, Mac, Linux)
-The costs, time & effort to keep -the backup- updated
-Will you keep version history or only the -latest & greatest- versions?
-How often are you going to -refresh- or -replace- your backup?
-Pros/Cons of cloud backups (vs. the alternatives & among them...)
-ETCETERA!

Disclaimer: I am not a law expert nor a lawyer. And will never be!
and sorry to extend more questions than answers.

How is storing a file somewhere a copyright infringement?

Anyway, if DRM free is important to you, store at least one copy locally (preferably more than one).

Offsite (non-cloud) backups are always a good idea - but not feasible for everybody.

Question with backup installers, do you backup only one installer for a single system or for all?

For example, a game that is available for mac, windows, and linux, do you backup all installers for each os or only for the main one you use?

For the main one i use only
Im storing only low weight games of course without sharing,but uploading something to Cloud even if its set to "private" its not sharing by itself?

-As I said, only selected games,
-I don't send soundtracks,
-I use Windows
-Games that I upload to the cloud haven't received updates for many years
-I usually focus on the latest version
Advantages?
In the event of damage to external drives can quickly download from the cloud.
Disadvantages?
Without the network there is no access to the installers