Post #2762141
2026-05-14 15:45 UTC
Replies (3)
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@SmoothLiquidation@lemmy.world 2026-05-14 17:51
I remember this happening to Linksys with the WRT-54g routers. They shipped with firmware based on open software (I don’t remember the exact license) and they were brought to court and forced to release the source code. In the end it really helped the sales of that model because hobbyists wanted it for the freedom of running their own code on it.
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@fonix232@fedia.io 2026-05-14 16:25
That's where legal actions come into place. I've managed to force multiple Chinese companies to release sources that were adamant they don't have to, just by threatening to report them to the FSF and SFC - both bodies have been wildly successful in prosecuting licence breaches. Also both the EU and the US have now precedents and laws in place that allow fast-tracking obvious licence violators' blocking from the market. For a small Chinese company whose main target market is the west, it's a major blow if their sales and export are blocked because they won't release the source. So they try to play hardball, but it's like modern lifts - the moment you press the right buttons suddenly they do exactly what you want them to.
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@tabular@lemmy.world 2026-05-14 17:58
Normally the copyright holder has to take them to court to enforce copyleft licenses like the AGPL. Hopefully [we will soon find out](https://sfconservancy.org/copyleft-compliance/vizio.html) if users can also enforce it, as a 3rd party beneficiary under contract law.