德国路由器制造商是最新一家无意间阐明 LGPL 许可证的公司

发布于 1 月 11 日

GPL and LGPL: Widely known and used. Networking hardware makers sometimes get sued to clarify their usage.
AVM case:
- Complaint: German software developer Sebastian Steck bought an AVM Fritz!Box 4020 and requested firmware source code to recompile a networking library and add logging. He was concerned about AVM's license compliance. The Software Freedom Conservancy provided a grant.
- Issues: AVM provided incomplete source code with missing compilation and installation scripts. After months, AVM provided all relevant code but the suit continued. AVM ultimately paid Steck's attorney fee.
- Outcome: Proved source code requirements are real and LGPL demands freedom. It also set an example of copyleft's power.
AVM's response: AVM spokesperson Doris Haar said the company has supported the open source community and pointed to projects like Freetz. She said the source code was sufficient and there was an amicable settlement with AVM voluntarily covering costs. Both parties could have appealed.
Similar lawsuits: Many "copyleft" lawsuits against router and networking hardware makers are common. Examples include the Linksys WRT54G conflict in 2003 (settled before lawsuit), Cisco being sued by the FSF in 2007 (settled in 2009), and the Software Freedom Law Center filing lawsuits against hardware makers on behalf of BusyBox creators. In almost every case, lawsuits were filed after multiple attempts to seek compliance failed.

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