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Nvidia Ansel caught using stolen code from ReShade

TaintedSquirrel

TaintedSquirrel

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Some more info here:
Here is the download link for MasterEffect. It includes a license.txt which includes the following:
  • 5 You may use and distribute software in commercial or non-commercial uses. For commercial use it is required to warn about using this software (in credits, on the box or other places). Commercial distribution of software as part of the games without author permission prohibited.
Source: ReShade

If you want to see which code was specifically copied, browse over to 'C:\Program Files\NVIDIA Corporation\Ansel\ShaderMod' and open up some of the .fx files, then compare and contrast with code from the MasterEffect .fx files.

Here is an example of some stolen code:

color.xyz = (color.xyz - dot(color.xyz, 0.333)) * ColormodChroma + dot(color.xyz, 0.333);

The above line is included in both Nvidia's custom.fx and MasterEffect's reshade.fx file. There are more lines and this is just one example. The original source of this code is ONLY in the MasterEffect download. Even the descriptions were copied.
Click to expand...
 
Big company uses source code without attribution. In other news: water is still wet.

Unfortunately all that could happen is NVIDIA silently updates the code. Does the license distributed with MasterEffect actually have any legal standing, though?
 
I dunno, it's a grey area. NVIDIA's not profiting directly from distributing Ansel to developers, so it can be argued that it's not a commercial use. Furthermore, they're not distributing it as part of games, but as part of a software framework, which only requires them to attribute credits somewhere.

If games call APIs that uses these effects, I still think NVIDIA is clear from a legal standpoint, since they provide the software API, and the games call them. They're not distributing it as part of games, per se.
 
They have to be profiting from it directly, they aren't selling their API to developers, they are giving it to them freely, and when the end user buys the game, all the money is going to the dev, publisher, retailer, and none to nV so no its not commercial use from their stand point, its gets a bit hairy on the dev side though, so nV probably should tell the dev's to put in those lines or add them into their API just to cover the dev's ass.
 
Armenius said:
Big company uses source code without attribution. In other news: water is still wet.

Unfortunately all that could happen is NVIDIA silently updates the code. Does the license distributed with MasterEffect actually have any legal standing, though?
Click to expand...


That is another thing, I don't see it under GNU or GPL.....
 
trandoanhung1991 said:
I dunno, it's a grey area. NVIDIA's not profiting directly from distributing Ansel to developers, so it can be argued that it's not a commercial use. Furthermore, they're not distributing it as part of games, but as part of a software framework, which only requires them to attribute credits somewhere.

If games call APIs that uses these effects, I still think NVIDIA is clear from a legal standpoint, since they provide the software API, and the games call them. They're not distributing it as part of games, per se.
Click to expand...

They are advertising it as a key feature of their up to $1,200.00 GPU architecture. It is marketed as a reason to buy them in advertising by Nvidia. Thus it is considered part of their marketing to sell more GPUs. This makes it commercial use.
 
TaintedSquirrel said:
It says the code can't be distributed commercially in games, which Nvidia isn't doing, but the game devs are (Ansel is part of the game).
Click to expand...

Didn't The Witcher 3 get an Ansel patch a few days ago? Seems like it is "in the game" if it had to be patched in. I didn't pay attention to the news or how it was done as I'm running an AMD card currently. So I could be wrong. ;)
 
I wasn't guessing, it's a fact. If anybody is going to get in legal trouble here, it's the game devs. Not sure how Nvidia might get involved though.
But truthfully nothing will happen from this. I would be surprised if Nvidia even makes a statement or anything else.
 
cageymaru said:
They are advertising it as a key feature of their up to $1,200.00 GPU architecture. It is marketed as a reason to buy them in advertising by Nvidia. Thus it is considered part of their marketing to sell more GPUs. This makes it commercial use.
Click to expand...


It can be construed that way, and commercial use is a broad use, but since the owner has defined his use its no longer broad.

this is form his license.txt

You may use and distribute software in commercial or non-commercial uses. For commercial use it is required to warn about using this software (in credits, on the box or other places). Commercial distribution of software as part of the games without author permission prohibited.
Click to expand...

The problem here is does the original maker have dual license types for his software, another words is the supposed claim legit, if he didn't go through and do the proper paper work, the claim might not be there. Now All nV has to do is to add this line and it will protect the dev's too.

Since Ansel doesn't come with the graphics cards nV doesn't need to do anything.

I don't understand why people don't read before they post. The author even has it in his own license, it can be used in commercial products!

LICENSE AGREEMENT AND DISTRIBUTION RULES:
1 Copyrights of the Master Effect exclusively belongs to author - Gilcher Pascal aka Marty McFly.
2 Master Effect (the SOFTWARE) is DonateWare application, which means you may or may not pay for this software to the author as donation.
3 If included in ENB presets, credit the author (Gilcher Pascal aka Marty McFly).
4 Software provided "AS IS", without warranty of any kind, use it on your own risk.
5 You may use and distribute software in commercial or non-commercial uses. For commercial use it is required to warn about using this software (in credits, on the box or other places). Commercial distribution of software as part of the games without author permission prohibited.
6 Author can change license agreement for new versions of the software.
7 All the rights, not described in this license agreement belongs to author.
8 Using the Master Effect means that user accept the terms of use, described by this license agreement.

For more information about license agreement contact me:
Marty McFly Modding | Facebook


Copyright (c) 2009-2015 Gilcher Pascal aka Marty McFly
Click to expand...
 
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As if Nvidia is going to give credit to anyone else, for anything. Here's what Nvidia (Andrew Burnes) said about PureHair, ffs:
PureHair is Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix's hair rendering technology, which like our own HairWorks technology adds tens of thousands of hair strands to a character model.
Click to expand...
 
either that or the developers have to add in the line, any case that line has to be in there otherwise the devs that use it can be sued.
 
razor1 said:
either that or the developers have to add in the line, any case that line has to be in there otherwise the devs that use it can be sued.
Click to expand...
Well the devs won't do anything until ReShade gets a lawyer and they threaten to actually sue. Doubt they've got the money for it.
 
I just like the irony of a dev who "borrows" a well known IP name for his/her brand name and then complains when someone "borrows" his/her stuff.

I agree, it is BS NV is using lifted code and someone's head should roll but we all know it won't. NV will either quietly change the code or give credit to Reshade. I bet they won't even acknowledge the post.
 
its really not up to nV to do in the sdk, which btw we don't even know if its in the sdk, the sdk hasn't been released yet the the public lol, but dev's should do it. It would be nice if nV has it in there too, just easier that way. Also the code snipits that are being talked about are sliders within Ansel, to change values, and their starting default values, its not really IP breaking stuff......

nV's product is a free sdk, which by itself doesn't constitute as a commercial product. Now a very lenient judge could see it as well Ansel is major selling piece of nV's graphics cards, and I mean he/she has to be very lenient in his terms to come to that kind of conclusion. As anyone can see Ansel isn't the driving force for graphics card sales lol.

The secondary note if devs don't put the line it can be put onto nV's head again the judge has to be very lenient as they can say nV is enabling the use of the code without telling the devs where it came from.
 
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is there code in ansel that is really unique that they robbed or is it all generic?
 
the specific part that we are talking about is generic, the rest of Ansel's functionality has nothing to do with this guys program.
 
Can you chill out with the Reddit PC Master Race idiocy please, TaintedSquirrel? I know you're a big Redditor and what not, but most of the stuff you cross-post from that sub is uninformed rage fuel created with only one purpose in mind; to catalyze the Internet Rage Machine and sic angry teenage Facebook and twitter mobs on Nvidia/Microsoft/Activision/Whoever the hell gamers are currently mad at.

Straight from the dev's mouth, this recent rage du jour is a complete non controversy.
 
crusty_juggler said:
Can you chill out with the Reddit PC Master Race idiocy please, TaintedSquirrel? I know you're a big Redditor and what not, but most of the stuff you cross-post from that sub is uninformed rage fuel created with only one purpose in mind; to catalyze the Internet Rage Machine and sic angry teenage Facebook and twitter mobs on Nvidia/Microsoft/Activision/Whoever the hell gamers are currently mad at.

Straight from the dev's mouth, this recent rage du jour is a complete non controversy.
Click to expand...
Chill out on what? It's news. Even in their original Facebook post they sounded pissed off, go back and read it again.

More:
NVIDIA Ansel Post-FX Based on Stolen MasterEffect ReShade.fx Code?
OC3D :: News :: Nvidia's Ansel Post-FX solution was allegedly stolen from modders :: Nvidia's Ansel Post-FX solution was allegedly stolen from modders

[TPU] [Updated] NVIDIA Ansel Post-FX Based on Stolen MasterEffect ReShade.fx Code?
Nvidia is caught stealing codes from a ReShade Framework Developer
 
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Has it been confirmed the code "borrowed" is generic and not something custom that ReShade would have had to create on their own.

That would be the only way for Marty McFly to claim it was theirs.

Also nothing wrong with TS posting, it is news posted on legit sites.
 
TaintedSquirrel said:
Chill out on what? It's news. Even in their original Facebook post they sounded pissed off, go back and read it again.

More:
NVIDIA Ansel Post-FX Based on Stolen MasterEffect ReShade.fx Code?
OC3D :: News :: Nvidia's Ansel Post-FX solution was allegedly stolen from modders :: Nvidia's Ansel Post-FX solution was allegedly stolen from modders

[TPU] [Updated] NVIDIA Ansel Post-FX Based on Stolen MasterEffect ReShade.fx Code?
Nvidia is caught stealing codes from a ReShade Framework Developer
Click to expand...
The only reason anyone posts something on Reddit is to rile people up, especially when it comes to stuff like this. Looks like the guy had the whole situation handled and people getting outraged on his behalf did so over nothing.
 
Armenius said:
The only reason anyone posts something on Reddit is to rile people up, especially when it comes to stuff like this. Looks like the guy had the whole situation handled and people getting outraged on his behalf did so over nothing.
Click to expand...

Look everywhere these days, people getting enraged on behalf of others is the 'in' thing.

It just boggles my mind.
 
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