Good morning Logan, you forgot to add that they have 48 hours to respond or their case will be escalated, but do it in a more threatening way.
It seems that’s what they like.
Hello everyone,
I would like to share my experience with the Amnesty Program, as I believe it is important to provide the perspective of a student.
A few days ago, I received one of these emails stating that Chaos had detected the use of V-Ray/Enscape on a device associated with me. At the time, I used the software exclusively for academic purposes. I have never used it professionally, never sold renders, and never earned any income from Chaos products.
However, I completely stopped using Chaos software about a year ago. I no longer have V-Ray, Enscape, or any other Chaos product installed on any of my devices, and I have no intention of using them again. Over time, I found other tools that better fit my workflow, and with the help of new technologies and AI, I now achieve the results I need for my academic projects.
When I received the email, I decided to act in good faith. I contacted my university to inform them of the situation, and I also replied directly to the License Compliance Team. I explained that I am a student and asked whether an Educational License would be sufficient to resolve my case.
The response I received essentially redirected me back to the Amnesty Program, which requires purchasing an annual license at a price that is simply beyond my financial means as a student.
What concerns me most is not only the cost.
It is the way this entire process is being handled.
The emails have a tone that, at least from my perspective, feels intimidating. They even include my device identifier. I understand that a company may have methods to identify software installations, but receiving an email containing that information, combined with messaging that appears to steer me directly toward purchasing an expensive annual license, creates a feeling of pressure rather than dialogue.
I fully understand and respect Chaos’s right to protect its intellectual property and combat unauthorized software use. I am not questioning that right.
What I do question is why there seems to be little distinction between a student who used the software solely for educational purposes and a business that profits from using it. Context should matter.
In my case, I do not own a studio, I am not a freelancer, I do not have clients, and I am not even financially independent yet. Asking a student to purchase an annual license costing hundreds of euros is simply not a realistic solution.
The unfortunate part is that this experience has had the exact opposite effect of what I believe the Amnesty Program is intended to achieve.
Even though I no longer use Chaos products, my first thought was actually to purchase an Educational License to make sure everything was properly licensed. However, after being told that I would need to purchase the annual Amnesty Program license instead, I realized that this was simply not an option for me.
As a result, I have decided that I will not become a Chaos customer in the future. Not because I think your products are bad, but because the way this situation has been handled has made me feel pressured instead of supported in finding a reasonable solution.
Finally, I would like to make a respectful request to the Chaos team.
If, after reviewing my case, you determine that I am no longer using any Chaos products, I kindly ask that you close any compliance case associated with my account and stop sending me these emails.
As a student, this situation has caused me a significant amount of stress and anxiety. I simply do not have the financial means to purchase an annual license costing hundreds of euros, and it would make no sense for me to do so when I stopped using Chaos products about a year ago, no longer have them installed, and have no intention of using them again.
I am not trying to justify my past use of the software. I am simply asking that my current situation be taken into account. I am a student, I no longer use any Chaos products, I have not benefited financially from them, and I do not intend to use them again. Under those circumstances, requiring me to purchase an annual license for software I no longer use does not seem like a reasonable solution.
I understand that Chaos has the right to protect its software, but I also believe there should be room to evaluate each case individually. Not every person who receives these emails is a commercial user or someone trying to avoid paying for software they actively use.
For that reason, I respectfully ask that my case be reviewed individually and, if appropriate, that it be closed permanently and that I no longer be considered a potential customer.
I also kindly request that I no longer receive emails related to the Amnesty Program, compliance cases, or future licensing campaigns. I have made the decision to use other software that better suits both my needs and my financial situation.
I sincerely hope you can understand my position and that this matter can be concluded respectfully for everyone involved.
Thank you for taking the time to read my experience.
I think you can use the educational license and enter the amnesty code in the promo code field.
That’s what Mr. Victor Cabanez told me I could do.
Kind regards.
I have just paid for the licence, so I would like Mr Cabanez (Victor_Cabanez_Cunha) to close my case under the reference number I sent you by email and confirm that it has been closed.
Thank you for your assistance in resolving this matter.
Kind regards.
Update on my case:
First of all, I want to thank Victor Cunha for taking the time to personally respond to my email.
He clarified that, as a student, I would be allowed to regularize my situation by purchasing an Educational License instead of the standard Amnesty Program license. He also granted me an extension until the end of the month while my university reviews the situation.
I genuinely appreciate that clarification, as it was not clear from the previous emails I received.
That said, my decision remains the same.
I stopped actively using Chaos products about a year ago, and I completely uninstalled them several months ago. I no longer have V-Ray or Enscape installed, and I have no intention of using them again. During this time, I migrated to other software that better fits my current workflow and academic needs.
For that reason, I don’t feel it is reasonable for me to purchase an annual license for software that I no longer use and do not plan to use in the future.
Another important factor is my financial situation. I am a full-time student, I do not currently have a job or my own income, and paying €134 for an annual license is simply beyond my financial means.
My university is also aware of this situation and is currently exploring possible institutional licensing options for students. I appreciate that effort, but even if that were to happen, I have personally decided that I do not wish to return to Chaos products.
My only request is that my case be reviewed individually and, if it is confirmed that I am no longer using any Chaos software, that my compliance case be closed and that I no longer receive Amnesty Program or compliance emails.
I respect Chaos’s right to protect its intellectual property. I simply hope there is also room to recognize when someone is no longer using the software and has no intention of becoming a customer.
Thank you again for taking the time to read my feedback.
Hi.
I also started receiving these kinds of emails, the first one on July 23rd, then on the 26th, and now this morning (July 31st, 2026). In my case, it’s someone named Benjamin Rosas.
The email from July 26th says the following (original message in spanish):
Hola Jef,
Hago un seguimiento a mi correo electrónico anterior. Nuestros registros indican el uso de V-Ray, Enscape en un dispositivo asociado con usted. El identificador del dispositivo detectado es [dirección MAC de mi PC]. La forma más sencilla de resolver esto es a través del Programa de Amnistía, que exonera todos los cargos por su uso no autorizado anterior cuando adquiere una licencia anual. Su Código de Resolución [código] sigue activo.
[Resolver y obtener su licencia]
Comunicación oficial de Chaos. Conozca cómo funciona el programa. Referencia: caso LC-226…
Benjamin Rosas
License Compliance Manager
Amnesty Program | Compliance Hub
Tenga en conta que este correo electrónico es de naturaleza transaccional, ya que al utilizar el Software de Chaos, usted ha aceptado los Términos y Condiciones del Software de Chaos, así como la Política de Privacidad de Chaos.
Chaos
Home of V-Ray | Enscape | Corona | Cylindo | Vantage | & more
©Chaos Software GmbH., An der Raumfabrik 33b, 76227 Karlsruhe BW Germany.
All rights reserved. Chaos®, V-Ray® and Phoenix FD® are registered trademarks of Chaos Software EOOD in Bulgaria and/or other countries.
In today’s email, they reiterated my situation and stated that the deadline is September 7th. Otherwise, it will be moved to another date.
-----
Su caso de conformidad de Chaos sigue abierto. El Programa de Amnistía exonera todos los cargos por su uso no autorizado anterior de V-Ray, Enscapecuando adquiere su licencia a través del siguiente enlace.
Después del 07.08.26, la exoneración dejará de aplicarse, por lo que su uso no autorizado anterior ya no será condonado y el caso permanecerá abierto.
[Resolver con amnistía]
Código de Resolución [código]. Referencia: caso [código]. Verifique este correo electrónico en el Centro de Cumplimiento.
Benjamin Rosas
License Compliance Manager
Amnesty Program | Compliance Hub
I confirm that I used V-Ray “externally” (as many here surely know what I mean) a long time ago for practice and learning, but I never exploited the software or made any profit from it.
It’s been over three years since I last used this software, as I switched to other alternatives like Blender. I replied to the advisor’s message expecting a coherent response from “advisor” Benjamin Rosas, but I didn’t receive one. And with this morning’s message, I realize that these emails are from a vile AI bot sending mass emails only to those previously detected, making it difficult to mediate directly with someone from the Chaos Group. These people definitely want me to obtain a license.
For now, I’ll ignore it until I see what this entails.
I have just paid for the licence, so I would like Mr Benjamin Rosas (benjamin.rosas.ext@email.chaos.com) to close my case under the reference number, and confirm that it has been closed.
Thank you for your assistance in resolving this matter.
Kind regards.
I also started receiving those emails, but I haven’t used it for a month and a half.
Unfortunately, this has confirmed exactly what I was afraid of.
I tried to explain my situation honestly. I explained that I’m a student, that I no longer use Chaos products, that they’re no longer installed on my computer, that I have no intention of using them again, and that I simply cannot afford an annual license 'cause I don’t even have a job.
The response I received was essentially:
“Buy an annual license by August 7 or legal action will follow.”
At that point, it no longer feels like a conversation. It feels like pressure.
I understand Chaos has every right to protect its intellectual property. What I don’t understand is why there seems to be no room for common sense or individual circumstances.
I don’t want a license because I don’t want the product anymore.
I’m not asking to keep using it for free.
I’m asking to be left alone 'cause I already moved on.
Ironically, this entire experience has ensured that I will never become a Chaos customer in the future.
It might be a faceless account (AI) running the emails.
In my case, the person who contacted me was real: Victor Cabanez Cunha. He also has a LinkedIn profile.
Ariadna, if you used the software beyond the trial period, you may be required to pay for a license, even if you are no longer using it. That was my situation, so I paid for the license.
However, there is one thing I do not understand: did Chaos actually allow you to continue using the software after the trial period had expired?
I would be staggered if they persued you, a student, legally. Consider how much they would have to spend in legal fees and what you’re likely able to cough up.
It could be worth their time and effort chasing up a company with many users but a single-seat user, i doubt it very much.
Well, apparently, “I’m going to jail!” — as my fellow user @glorybound put it on June 23. 
At this point, I think I’ve explained my situation enough, so I won’t repeat the entire story again.
I understand that purchasing an educational license is the solution that worked for some people here. That’s perfectly fine for them, but it is simply not a solution for me.
I don’t want to purchase Chaos software.
I stopped using V-Ray about a year ago. It remained installed on my laptop for some time, despite the fact that I was no longer using it, and I only uninstalled it this year when I needed to free up storage space. I currently have no Chaos products installed and have no intention of using them again.
So, no, I’m not looking for a way to obtain a license so I can continue using the software. I don’t want the software anymore.
As for the question of whether Chaos allowed me to continue using it after the trial period: that isn’t really the point I’m trying to raise here. My concern is what happens when someone has already stopped using the software, no longer has it installed, doesn’t intend to use it again, and still receives increasingly urgent messages to purchase an annual license.
And to the other user who said they would be surprised if Chaos actually pursued a student legally: honestly, same.
At this point, I’m genuinely curious to see what “further action” actually means.
For now, I’ve cooperated, informed my university, responded to the License Compliance Team and made my position clear.
Hopefully, I won’t have to start preparing my prison architecture portfolio.
if they continue harassing you, then here’s what Claude suggests. Please remember this is an LLM and can be very inaccurate. I fed it this thread and the EULA which is a newer EULA than the one you likely agreed to.
What she should actually do
Not pay, and not keep writing narrative emails — they’re being read by a workflow, not a person. One letter, three statutory requests, all free and all forcing a response within a month:
- GDPR Art. 15 — demand the actual data underlying the claim: which product, which device identifier, which dates, what detection method. This is the request that either substantiates or collapses their case, and the thread shows they haven’t voluntarily produced it for anyone.
- GDPR Art. 21 — object to the processing. Chaos’s own EULA §11 says this processing rests on “legitimate interests,” which is precisely the basis Art. 21 lets you object to. The burden shifts to them to demonstrate compelling grounds.
- GDPR Art. 16 — rectification of any inaccurate records.
Send it to ip-litigation@chaos.com and copy contracts@chaos.com (the notice address in §21), keep it short, keep the receipt.
EDIT, a bit more info:
Criminal liability requires commercial-scale infringement in essentially every EU jurisdiction. She has no clients, no revenue, no distribution.
Civil exposure, realistically, is Lizenzanalogie — what a licence would reasonably have cost — plus costs. Call it the price of the licence and change. Pixelcon’s economic point in post 54 is right and is the actual operative constraint: cross-border enforcement against a single student over ~€134 costs more in filing fees than it can ever recover. “Escalation” here means a debt-collection or law-firm letter at worst, and most likely a row in a database.
Chaos, pull your heads in. You’re heading down the path of gaining a reputation like Oracle’s.
All I can say is, I have never used any software illegally, so something is seriously wrong with their allegations. After speaking with someone on the Vantage side at Chaos, they extended a trial so I can demo it to my current team. I got follow-up emails offering to extend it further, but I denied the offer. I am sure 100% that people are using cracked software, but I am not one of them, and I take great offense at being accused of it - guilty until proven innocent!