[Creative]3rd Party Drivers w/ Vista Support Pulled! - Overclock.net

**prosser13** · 03-29-08

http://forums.creative.com/creativel...cending&page=1

Quote:

Daniel_K:

We are aware that you have been assisting owners of our Creative sound cards for some time now, by providing unofficial driver packages for Vista that deliver more of the original functionality that was found in the equivalent XP packages for those sound cards. In principle we don't have a problem with you helping users in this way, so long as they understand that any driver packages you supply are not supported by Creative. Where we do have a problem is when technology and IP owned by Creative or other companies that Creative has licensed from, are made to run on other products for which they are not intended. We took action to remove your thread because, like you, Creative and its technology partners think it is only fair to be compensated for goods and services. The difference in this case is that we own the rights to the materials that you are distributing. By enabling our technology and IP to run on sound cards for which it was not originally offered or intended, you are in effect, stealing our goods. When you solicit donations for providing packages like this, you are profiting from something that you do not own. If we choose to develop and provide host-based processing features with certain sound cards and not others, that is a business decision that only we have the right to make.

Although you say you have discontinued your practice of distributing unauthorized software packages for Creative sound cards we have seen evidence of them elsewhere along with donation requests from you. We also note in a recent post of yours on these forums, that you appear to be contemplating the release of further packages. To be clear, we are asking you to respect our legal rights in this matter and cease all further unauthorized distribution of our technology and IP. In addition we request that you observe our forum rules and respect our right to enforce those rules. If you are in any doubt as to what we would consider unacceptable then please request clarification through one of our forum moderators before posting.

Phil O'Shaughnessy
VP Corporate Communications
Creative Labs Inc.

The drivers daniel_k has been providing have allowed, as the posters have pointed out, thousands of users to actually be able to use Creative sound cards on Vista without crashes and sub-standard feature sets.

The response it has provoked on the Creative forums alone is pretty amazing...there are several posts recommending people to get in touch with various legal departments because the product is sold as Vista compatible...

Pretty poor decision by Creative in my eyes.

DuckieHo · 03-29-08

Hire the guy... and fire your entire incompetent driver team. It only took them 2 years to get mostly working X-Fi drivers after the release of the card....for XP

Emmanuel · 03-29-08

What the hell? You know what Creative? Improve your drivers if you don't want such things to happen, if we buy a product, we have full rights to exploit it, and even if it's against their TOS, too bad for them, it's not a law. They are trying to get Copyright involved by saying that Daniel is stealing technology that belongs to Creative. Seriously, fire your driver's team.

**prosser13** · 03-29-08

Patent/copyright law reform time?

xdaseinx · 03-29-08

"Corporate people"

dragosmp · 03-29-08

I just read that thread, it's unbelievable. In stead of paying the guy a sack of money for saving their lousy driver development team they threaten a lawsuit... Guess no more Creative for me (or any of my clients).

Jacko87 · 03-29-08

Sounds to me like Creative just plain hates Vista for whatever reason and refuses to have anything to do with it, even if other people are trying to help they want to get rid of them...I don't get it

HrnyGoat · 03-29-08

The concept of "Intellectual Property" is such a massive hindrance of progress in our society that we should just get rid of it all together.

Twinnuke · 03-29-08

If we get rid of Intellectual Property prices are either going to sky rocket to make up for loyalties or there is going to be a monopoly which we dont want.

DarkNite · 03-29-08

I just dont see what laws Daniel_K broke.

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[Creative]3rd Party Drivers w/ Vista Support Pulled!

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