> Is it right that even if we get all good laser disc copies done Mame can't use them > because of copyright issues ?
Not really, it's important for MAME to remain impartial as far as possible, otherwise you'd just end up with pressure from all angles to remove things / not support things.
We're talking about things from the 80s that aren't being sold in that form anymore. Not supporting specific things of that age would set a very bad precedent for preservation etc. because they're literally rotting away.
The original versions of these games are no more comparable to the current 4k widescreen offerings as Pacman and Space Invaders are to the modern versions of those you can buy. The originals are currently *severely* at risk due to not having been archived to any acceptable quality.