Postwendend
Nikon nimmt Stellung zur Teil-Verschlüsselung der RAW/NEF-Daten
2005-04-26 Die Antwort von Nikon hat nicht lange auf sich warten lassen. Knapp eine Woche nachdem bekannt geworden ist, dass die Weißabgleichinformationen in den RAW/NEF-Dateien mancher Nikon-Kameras (Nikon D2X u. D2H) verschlüsselt werden, nimmt der Konzern offiziell Stellung zu diesem Thema. Doch damit fängt der Streit um das geistige Eigentum der Firma erst richtig an. Denn Nikon, die Kamerabesitzer und die Entwickler fremder RAW-Software erheben alle auf ihre Weise Anspruch auf die Weißabgleichdaten der Kamera. Doch zunächst meldet sich Nikon mal zu Wort. (Yvan Boeres)
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In der am vergangenen Freitag veröffentlichten Pressemitteilung (den
englischen Originaltext in voller Länge finden unsere Leser am Ende dieser
Meldung) wehrt sich Nikon gegen die Vorwürfe der Wettbewerbsbehinderung.
Zwar wird die Verschlüsselung der Weißabgleichinformation in den RAW/NEF-Dateien
der D2X/D2H nicht explizit bestätigt, doch man weist darauf hin, dass es
sich beim "Nikon Electronic Format"-Rohdatenformat (kurz: NEF) um ein
proprietäres Format handelt, dessen Struktur und Verarbeitungsmechanismen im
Sinne der Qualitätssicherung und zum Vorteil des Fotografen schützenswert
seien. Wer als Fremdanbieter Alternativen zu den Nikon-eigenen Lösungen
entwickeln und anbieten möchte, hätte durch den Erwerb eines
Softwareentwicklungskits (so genanntes SDK) die Möglichkeit dazu.
Damit wollen sich aber einige Personen nicht zufrieden geben. Sie meinen,
dass die Weißabgleichinformationen Eigentum des Fotografen seien und halten
es nicht für nötig, sich an den von Nikon propagierten Weg zu halten. So
sind im Netz einige Stimmen laut geworden, die behaupten, die
Nikon-Verschlüsselung geknackt zu haben. Damit heimsen sie sich zwar die
Sympathien vieler Hobby- und Profifotografen ein, begeben sich aber –
rechtlich gesehen – auf einen ziemlich gefährlichen Weg. Namen wollen wir an
dieser Stelle nicht zitieren, da wir bis zur Klärung der Rechtslage keine
potentiellen Urheberrechtsverletzer ins Rampenlicht stellen möchten. Fest
steht jedenfalls, dass auch mit der offiziellen Stellungnahme von Nikon kein
Ende der kontroversen Diskussionen um das Reizthema geistiges Eigentum
abzusehen ist und dass – egal ob Nikon mit Härte oder mit Einlenken reagiert
– die ganze Geschichte eine Publicity ist, auf die Nikon sicherlich gerne
verzichtet hätte.
Original-Pressemitteilung der Firma Nikon:
"Nikon Advisory - For Immediate Release (April 22, 2005)
The Nikon D2X professional Digital Single Lens Reflex camera has received
widely positive acclaim for its overall performance and image processing
quality. Recently, speculative statements which appear to be based on
misunderstandings and misinformation about the D2X camera’s "encryption" of
certain white balance data have propagated on the internet.
The purpose of this advisory is to clarify this matter with facts and
explanations. The Nikon D2X is capable of producing high quality images that
can be saved in a variety of file formats, including the proprietary Nikon
Electronic Format (NEF), standard TIFF and several levels of standard JPEG
compressed files. The NEF, a Nikon proprietary raw file design, was
introduced with the Nikon D1 Camera and Nikon’s original Capture software.
The combination of Nikon camera, in-camera image processing, NEF file format
and in-computer image processing with original Nikon Capture software was
developed as a system that faithfully saved image files that represent the
camera settings made manually or automatically by the photographer at the
time a picture was taken. Nikon’s preservation of its unique technology in
the NEF file is employed as an action that protects the uniqueness of the
file. At the same time, Nikon makes available a software developer kit (SDK)
that, when implemented appropriately, enables a wide range of NEF
performance, including white balance, for Nikon photographers and their
productive use of the NEF file. Since the inception of the system, Nikon has
always provided photographers with choices about how they might use the
system’s performance and enjoy high quality images. Nikon’s choices for
opening and processing NEF files have been and continue to include:
* Nikon Capture software
* Plug-in for Adobe’s Photoshop
* Nikon PictureProject software
* Nikon View software
* Availability of Nikon Software Developer Kit (SDK) and the software that
has been developed using the SDK.
Through use of the Nikon Software Developer Kit, authorized developers
can produce software by applying creative concepts to their implementation
and adding capabilities to open Nikon’s NEF file and use NEF’s embedded
Instructions and Nikon’s Libraries. Nikon photographers reap benefits from
independent developers’ approaches, because it allows the photographer to
open and process their NEF images.
After a developer’s software is created using the Nikon SDK, a NEF file
can be opened, edited in either TIFF or JPEG format, and then saved in
formats available in the developers’ software. This process has been
available since the first Nikon SDK for NEF. With each introduction of a new
Nikon digital Single Lens Reflex model, Nikon updates the available SDK
selection to provide new information; this is the situation with the D2X,
D2Hs and D50 models. As stated above, application for the Nikon SDK is
possible for bona fide software companies that send Nikon a written
application for the SDK. Once approved, the SDK is provided to the developer
at no charge and they are authorized to use it. Nikon has provided its
confidential SDK software to many software developers. With the Nikon SDK,
developers may design excellent and creative compatibility between the NEF
and their software, all without compromising the integrity of the NEF’s
original concept, and ensuring that work done by the photographer during the
picture taking process can be incorporated into the rendering of the image.
The trilogy of performance, from Camera-to-NEF-to-Capture, has evolved
though several generations of Nikon Digital SLR models, improving along the
way. As a proprietary format, Nikon secures NEF’s structure and processing
through various technologies. Securing this structure is intended for the
photographer’s benefit, and dedicated to ensuring faithful reproduction of
the photographer’s creative intentions through consistent performance and
rendition of the images. Discussions propagated on the internet suggesting
otherwise are misinformed about the unique structure of NEF. Nikon’s Camera
System, NEF and Capture software are a tightly knit system, and they are all
developed through the cooperative efforts of Nikon’s design teams, and this
collaboration results in achieving the highest image quality. Nikon strives
to provide photographers with excellent picture taking performance,
compatible Nikon in-system image processing performance and by extension,
compatibility with additional software developers’ products, with the
ultimate goal of delivering a high level of integrity for a photographer’s
creative vision. Nikon continues to welcome dialogue with bona fide software
developers."