Frequently Asked Questions About Microsoft DirectX Licensing

Microsoft Corporation

December 1999

Summary: This article provides in-depth answers to frequently asked licensing questions regarding Microsoft DirectX. (3 printed pages)

Which EULA (End User License Agreement) do I need?

There are four different EULAs depending on which technology you are downloading: one governs developers’ use of the Software Development Kit (SDK); one governs use of the Driver library (DDK); one governs use of DirectX® Media; and the last governs end user usage of DirectX.

The DirectX SDK End User License Agreement is located at DXF/LICENSE/ (SETUP.EXE) and may be read before downloading the DirectX SDK. After download, the DirectX SDK is located in the directory DXF/LICENSE/EULA.DOC.

The End User License Agreement can be found in the file named LICENSE.TXT and provides suggested language for you to include with your redistribution of the Microsoft redistributable code. This language is also discussed under DISTRIBUTION REQUIREMENTS in the DirectX SDK End User License Agreement.

The DirectX Media EULA is displayed on setup of DirectX Media.

The DirectX DDK EULA is also displayed on setup.

My company, in Taiwan, would like to bundle DirectX on CD-ROM with our product package. Can we do this?

As explained in the DirectX SDK End User License Agreement (EULA) and the DirectX Media SDK EULA, you may include the contents of the redistributable code with your application free of charge and without additional permission from Microsoft so long as you make no modifications to the DirectX components, except as described in the Redistributable Agreement, located at \LICENSE\REDIST.TXT on the DirectX 6.0 or later SDK CD-ROM. You must display copyright or disclaimer notices in your product, and you must not remove copyright notices displayed in any part of the DirectX setup or product.

We would like to bundle DirectX with our products for a promotion. How can we register to use it?

No need to register. See the answer to Question 2, above.

Can we distribute DirectX on our CD-ROM with our own software?

Yes. See the answer to Question 2, above.

A Japanese firm has translated our software into Japanese for sale to Japanese customers on CD-ROM. Can they also distribute DirectX to their customers along with our translated software on the CD-ROM? If so, what legal notices should they include on the CD-ROM?

Yes. See the answer to Question 2, above.

I work for a university that requires that only licensed programs be installed on its network. How can I get a DirectX license?

The DirectX license is granted free of charge. You can find the license agreement on the DirectX 6.0 or later SDK CD-ROM in the LICENSE folder, \LICENSE\EULA.DOC.

Is DirectX royalty-free?

Yes.

Can I redistribute Direct3D®, or some other DirectX component, and the appropriate setup utilities with my product?

Direct3D, and any other part of DirectX, may be redistributed. However, you must include all redistributable files, as listed at \LICENSE\REDIST.TXT on the DirectX 6.0 or later CD-ROM. You may select only the language redistributables you need. You do not need to include all of the different language redistributable files.

Can I use the Direct3D logo?

There is currently no logo for Direct3D, and while you may mention our product name, you should not imitate our trade dress, type style, product logos, or product packaging.

I accepted the terms of the End User License Agreement before I downloaded the DirectX SDK, and now that I have the product I can no longer access the EULA. Where can I find it?

See the answer to Question 1, above.

Can I redistribute the DirectX SDK on a CD-ROM with a book?

E-mail directx@microsoft.com for a Book Deal Redistribution Agreement.

Can I redistribute the Tunnel Test with my product to be used as a visual comparison of performance differences between my three-dimensional (3-D) accelerator and the accelerator marketed by my competitors?

No, you may not redistribute the Tunnel Test with your product.

Downloading DirectX takes too long. Can we put DirectX on our servers for our customers to download?

No. You should send home users to the DirectX home user Web site, located at www.microsoft.com/directx/, to ensure that they download the latest files, including any “hot fixes” necessary to correct problems found in the field. DirectX download and SDK files have been moved to higher capacity servers, so time-outs should no longer be a problem.

Are DDRAW.DLL, DDRAW16.DLL, DDHELP.EXE and LICENSE.TXT redistributable?

Yes, they are redistributable under the terms of the EULA. However, these files may only be redistributed with the other files included in the DirectX redistributables. You may select only the language redistributables you need. You do not need to include all of the different language redistributable files.

Is the DirectX SDK the same thing as the Games SDK?

The initial version of the DirectX SDK, distributed in early 1995, was called the Games SDK. All subsequent versions have been named DirectX SDK.