Monday, March 11th 2019
Maxon Sends Legal Threats to PC Enthusiast Websites Hosting Portable Cinebench R20 Downloads
Maxon last week week posted its Cinebench R20 CPU benchmark. Breaking convention, the company behind rendering software such as Cinema 4D R20, did not host the installer of Cinebench R20 on its own website. Instead, the software is being exclusively distributed through Microsoft Store (for Windows) and Apple App Store (for the MacOS platform). Several reputable PC enthusiast websites such as Guru3D and us, were bombarded by comments from their readers that they didn't like having to get their Cinebench R20 copy from "walled garden DRM platforms," and instead preferred portable versions of the software. Cinebench R20 is freeware, and so with good intentions, many PC enthusiast websites decided to build portable versions of Cinebench R20 that people can just unzip and run. Maxon did not take kindly to this.
Guru3D received legal threats from Maxon to take down their download hosting of Cinebench R20 portable. Facing these threats, Guru3D took down their download and amended their news articles with links to the Microsoft DRM store. The e-mail we received politely asked us to remove the "unauthorized download" but did include a threat that the company "reserves the next legal steps." We believe this behavior by Maxon is unfair, and will alienate a section of PC enthusiasts form Cinebench. No record-seeking PC enthusiast with an LN2 bench painstakingly set up has time to plug their machine to the Internet, launch the UWP store, evade attempts to get them to log in with a Microsoft account, and fetch Cinebench R20 with versions they have no control over. They'd rather install and run their benchmarks and tools off a flash drive, with control over versions, and the ability to keep their machines offline to stabilize their overclock. Many others simply hate DRM platforms for freeware. TechPowerUp has since taken down Cinebench R20 portable from its Downloads section. You can find it on Microsoft UWP Store.
Guru3D received legal threats from Maxon to take down their download hosting of Cinebench R20 portable. Facing these threats, Guru3D took down their download and amended their news articles with links to the Microsoft DRM store. The e-mail we received politely asked us to remove the "unauthorized download" but did include a threat that the company "reserves the next legal steps." We believe this behavior by Maxon is unfair, and will alienate a section of PC enthusiasts form Cinebench. No record-seeking PC enthusiast with an LN2 bench painstakingly set up has time to plug their machine to the Internet, launch the UWP store, evade attempts to get them to log in with a Microsoft account, and fetch Cinebench R20 with versions they have no control over. They'd rather install and run their benchmarks and tools off a flash drive, with control over versions, and the ability to keep their machines offline to stabilize their overclock. Many others simply hate DRM platforms for freeware. TechPowerUp has since taken down Cinebench R20 portable from its Downloads section. You can find it on Microsoft UWP Store.
149 Comments on Maxon Sends Legal Threats to PC Enthusiast Websites Hosting Portable Cinebench R20 Downloads
Mandatory question: How much did they pay you to register on various forums and spread smelly bio-matter around?
How would you like a game on steam that does not work on Win7 because it requires the MS-Store, but only tells you about that on the MS-Store?
Everything else is "some may not want to". So it's nothing. You can't give examples of any objective downsides. So maybe it's not. You still talk about Cinebench like something you deserve and has been forcefully taken away from you. Because it lowers their costs? Because in 2019 it's NATURAL for users to download software from official stores/repositories? Just like they do in Apple ecosystem, in Android and in Linux?
People constantly criticize Windows Store for the lack choice. But now, when a mainstream app is added to it, suddenly so many are against because this and that. You're not thinking like an enterprise. They are.
If you're against their approach, write a benchmarking tool and release it under GPL. No one is stopping you. Yes, and it works perfectly as one. But it's been created as a test for their clients and then got popular among a wider community.
You are allowed to use it even if you don't care what Maxon is actually doing. But they don't care. And the exposure to gamers may have resulted in unwanted side-effects. Because many gamers will leave the platform. Simple as that.
And how is that silly? It's just speculation. It's not more silly than your thing about being paid by MS. :) Exactly! I'm sure there are countless users on this forum. Boycott them and I'm sure they'll change their mind.. :-D You are required to comply to law even if you don't know it (or don't understand it). This is the fundamental rule of a legal system.
OK, so you're going on TPU - a site you respect. They offer a portable Cinebench. You don't know it violates Maxon license and you download it.
You haven't broken the license. Read it. Using a illegal copy is not against the law. You can't be held responsible. But you can be required to remove an unauthorized copy (even if you paid for it).
The person who shares or modifies software is responsible.
It's like with the piracy thing that used to be popular a decade ago. Buying a bad copy wasn't a crime - just like buying stolen physical goods isn't (if you don't know about it). Downloading a bad copy also wasn't a crime (if you didn't know!). You could only be forced to return/remove it.
But using torrent (where you upload as well) was enough to hold you responsible.
That's how this has always worked - even before "software" became a thing. You go to a store, they tell you a product is fine. In case of most products there's no real way of learning that they've been stolen.
The party that steals and fences stuff can be held responsible. You can only be forced to give these goods back.
What we're actually doing is giving a free common sense / copyright lesson...
The Cinebench thing is really unimportant. Maybe Maxon will change their policy, maybe they won't. We know gamers will move to another benchmark if it's necessary - there are countless options. And it's just a benchmark. It's not something you can't live without (at least so I though...).
For me it's still shocking how badly understood copyright is on this forum. I don't know the reason. Is it the anarchy? Is it the anti-enterprise approach?
You're required to pass a copyright course on your first year of study. I believe it's also taught in high-schools lately. I kind of live in a belief that everyone around me understand the topic pretty well.
This is XXI century, the Information Revolution. The rights to intellectual property are as important as the rights to material property have been for ages.
And man... I have a feeling that many of the "but EULA is hard to find" people would have no doubts shooting a trespasser...
hwbot in fact requires W7 for a lot of submissions
Even if Guru3D or TPU had refused to take the portable version down, Maxon would still have to prove damages, which because they're making the software in question available at no charge, can't happen. The absolute worst thing they could do legally is issue a DMCA takedown order, at their own expense.
?
In other news, I see they finally stripped me of all my badges (Supporter and Staff). Good going guys (no I am serious, it was kinda getting weird at this point)
I don't know if you should be looking for objective downsides, here. It's not that cut and dry. This is a matter of opinion, whether or not an individual wants to use the Windows Store. That makes it inherently subjective. Now this is where I just have to say I think you have an... interesting interpretation of my comments. How do I have this sense of entitlement when I specifically say I'm not butthurt about it, they hold the rights to do as they wish with their software, I just won't use it? I don't think it cost them anything when TPU et al. were hosting it either. In fact, you yourself mentioned it actually costs them something to put their stuff on the Microsoft store. That may well be cheaper than hosting it themselves on their own site (especially if they did so exclusively), but I doubt W1zzard was ready to send them a bill for hosting their benchmark here. Of course, relying on TPU and other sites like ours to host it would be a fantastically bad way to reach their "intended audience", so I agree that the Microsoft store would help them there, if they want to do it in a cheap way. Why they want it exclusively at the Microsoft store, and are actively enforcing this remains a mystery to me, but they can do as they please with their software.
As for the repositories comment... I can't speak much for Linux, as I haven't used it much, but I do remember using the repository for a few things, mostly because it was easier than installing software the "normal way" in Linux. It's a lot more complex than Windows. iOS, as I'm sure you're aware, is a walled garden, and while this is is a whole different debate, they do get a lot of criticism for that because it does limit choice.
I got used to the Play Store on Android because, well, that's just how Android (mostly) works. I've also done a ton of things without the Play Store. As for my PC, though, I've never considered the thought of such a central app repository. If I was interested in some software, I went to their site and got it. The closest thing I use to anything like that on PC is Steam... which I don't think quite qualifies as being similar to the Play Store, or the Microsoft store.
It's an interesting concept, but I just don't think it will work on PC, in the same way Windows 8 didn't work on PC. PCs are not tablets or smartphones.
I don't think anybody is against the Microsoft store, here. I'm not interested in using it, but I'm not against it. What some of us are against, is being forced to use the Microsoft store (or not, if you just don't use the software), as Maxon has made it clear that it's the one and only place to get their benchmarking tool. Fair point. I still don't suppose I would have an issue with someone else hosting my free benchmarking program, but I also don't run a company. Well, we both already understand that anyone can find Cinebench useful, even if you're not interested in their other products, so there's that. Of course, some gamers are also interested in benchmarking, but it's not like putting Cinebench on the Microsoft store exclusively blocks any gamer's access to it. I'm not sure why they would have such a problem with gamers, or how this would significantly cut down on gamers in their ecosystem, if it really mattered to them. Despite all this, we already have a rather extensive Cinebench R20 results thread here at TPU.
Honestly, what we have here is a few people who are unhappy about the exclusivity at the Microsoft store. Some of us would rather have our kickass portable version, for whatever reason that may be. Kind of similar to that whole Metro Exodus thing...