The Software Freedom Law Center complained on behalf of BusyBox developers. The companies, including Samsung, JVC and Western Digital, would not satisfy the conditions of the GPLv2 license.
BusyBox is a collection of Linux tools is designed for embedded devices, and is used by companies for the software including network drives, HDTV’s and Blu-ray players. The GPLv2 license that applies to BusyBox, allows everyone to the source code of the software to view, modify and use such in-house products. There is however the condition that the modified BusyBox code also must be made public.
Fourteen electronics companies were there with the firmware of one or more products not comply. The companies would also not responded to a letter from the SFLC, a non-profit open source developers legal assisting. The SFLC called on it to still comply with the license. The organization now has a developer on behalf of the indictment against including JVC, Western Digital, Samsung and Humax filed in the court of New York.
The BusyBox developers require the breach of the license is suspended, and they also want a compensation of an undisclosed sum. They also require that the profits the companies made their violations, be abandoned and that the companies pay the legal costs. Earlier, the makers BusyBox lawsuits against Monsoon Multimedia and Verizon. Both cases went off with a fizzle, after the companies had admitted that there was a violation and gave the source code.
