Ben Klein schrieb:
2009/5/23 Stefan Dösinger stefandoesinger@gmx.at:
Am Freitag, 22. Mai 2009 19:15:22 schrieb Roderick Colenbrander:
So what they are saying is that Nvidia has a license on the s3tc patent for use in those tools but if we would rip their code out we wouldn't be covered unless (but that is gray area) we put all their image code in wine (which would be impossible since it is C++). Perhaps if we want to be safe we could ask s3 for a license for use in Wine?
Hmm. My idea would have been to link against this lib, but if it is C++ it makes troubles.
Interestingly enough, nvidia-texture-tools is MIT license and provides no provision for patent protection. In theory, a fork of this project to C would be linkable with Wine without legal issues.
Their FAQ states that "[we] don't have to obtain a license of the S3TC patent to use any of NVIDIA's products" but it also adds that "certain uses of NVIDIA Texture Tools source code cannot be considered NVIDIA products anymore." Thus, forking the project and integrating it into Wine would probably have the same legal status as writing an own S3TC (de)compressor within Wine. Seems like asking for a license or directly using the binaries of this lib are the only options we have then. Forking NVIDIA TT and disable it by default would probably not be accepted by AJ I guess...