amok: Yes - adandonware is not legal, the IP is owned by someone - somewhere (though no-one might not be sure who or where).
In the case of Maxis, it think EA holds all rights still (correct me if I am wrong). They might not want to do anything about these IP's, or have buried them so deep somewhere so it is to much hazzle to resurrect them, but they do own them.
I'm pretty sure it is indeed EA which is sad since they aren't a signed-on publisher. However I am (perhaps wrongly) optimistic that GOG will eventually, somehow, someday, get them (and LA of course) on board. :) Ah to play the old Sim-series and X-wing-series games again ... amongst many, many others ... that would be a nostalgia rush.
