SFLC Files Lawsuit Against 14 Companies for GPL Violations
Attorneys at the Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC) have filed a lawsuit against 14 electronics companies for copyright infringements. The suit accuses the companies of selling products containing BusyBox software in violation of the GPL.
Among the devices are Blu Ray DVDs from Best Buy, Samsung HDTVs, a 52-inch LCD Television from Westinghouse and more than a dozen other products. According to the SFLC, manufacturers of these products are using the multi-functional binary BusyBox contrary to conditions outlined in GPLv2. These conditions usually include a GPL disclaimer and the release of the source code upon request.
The SFLC attorneys in this case represent BusyBox developer and copyright-holder Erik Andersen and the Software Freedom Conservancy, an organization consisting of developers and free software projects.
The SFLC claim defendants refused requests for cooperation and the lawsuit was filed as a last resort. A (PDF copy of the complaint can be found online.
The mass suit is the largest action the SFLC has ever taken in GPL matters. In Germany, the Netfilter/Iptables developer, Harald Welte, has repeatedly enforced GPL conditions upon router manufacturers.
Comments
comments powered by DisqusSubscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
ONLYOFFICE v9 Embraces AI
Like nearly all office suites on the market (except LibreOffice), ONLYOFFICE has decided to go the AI route.
-
Two Local Privilege Escalation Flaws Discovered in Linux
Qualys researchers have discovered two local privilege escalation vulnerabilities that allow hackers to gain root privileges on major Linux distributions.
-
New TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro Powered by AMD Ryzen AI 300
The TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen10 offers serious power that is ready for your business, development, or entertainment needs.
-
Danish Ministry of Digital Affairs Transitions to Linux
Another major organization has decided to kick Microsoft Windows and Office to the curb in favor of Linux.
-
Linux Mint 20 Reaches EOL
With Linux Mint 20 at its end of life, the time has arrived to upgrade to Linux Mint 22.
-
TuxCare Announces Support for AlmaLinux 9.2
Thanks to TuxCare, AlmaLinux 9.2 (and soon version 9.6) now enjoys years of ongoing patching and compliance.
-
Go-Based Botnet Attacking IoT Devices
Using an SSH credential brute-force attack, the Go-based PumaBot is exploiting IoT devices everywhere.
-
Plasma 6.5 Promises Better Memory Optimization
With the stable Plasma 6.4 on the horizon, KDE has a few new tricks up its sleeve for Plasma 6.5.
-
KaOS 2025.05 Officially Qt5 Free
If you're a fan of independent Linux distributions, the team behind KaOS is proud to announce the latest iteration that includes kernel 6.14 and KDE's Plasma 6.3.5.
-
Linux Kernel 6.15 Now Available
The latest Linux kernel is now available with several new features/improvements and the usual bug fixes.
Re:Bruce Perens' Weblog: Statement on Busybox Lawsuits
http://perens.com/blog/2009/12/15/23/
Bruce Perens' Weblog: Statement on Busybox Lawsuits