SFC's announcement:<p><a href="https://sfconservancy.org/news/2025/dec/04/tentative-vizio-ruling-in-favor-of-sfc/" rel="nofollow">https://sfconservancy.org/news/2025/dec/04/tentative-vizio-r...</a><p>Apparently the actual case was to be argued in a session starting at 10am pacific, with their case as number 11.<p>Just skimming it, it looks like the judge grants 1 of 3 requests:<p>1. Vizio does have a "contractual duty" to provide the source code to SFC of any GPLv2 or LGPLv2 software<p>2/3. Vizio is <i>not</i> required to either provide the source code or an offer to give the source code to all buyers of the tv of any GPLv2 (issue 2) or LGPLv2 (issue 3).<p>Basically, if I'm reading it correctly, they have to give you the source code if you ask for it, but they don't have to tell you that you can ask.<p>ETA: Oh, but 2 and 3 are denied due to some technicality about how the SFC filed for summary judgements, without making any comment about whether they would have succeeded if they'd filed things another way.<p>And 1 is granted because somewhere in some menu on the TV said they <i>could</i> request it.<p>So what happens if Visio removes that menu option offering to give you the source code, and someone else files the motions properly? Not clear.<p>In other words, it doesn't look to me like it sets a real precedent either way.
> <i>Basically, if I'm reading it correctly, they have to give you the source code if you ask for it, but they don't have to tell you that you can ask.</i><p>I think the bigger picture is more subtle than that. You, the buyer do not have a cause of action if they fail to tell you that you can ask.<p>They would, however be in violation of copyright if they don't tell buyers that they are entitled to ask for a copy of the source code because the license requires that they do so, and nothing else gives them permission to distributed the covered software. Any relevant copyright holder would have a cause of action in that case, but the SFC is not a copyright holder in this case.
I dont remember if we ever told our customers that they could ask for our code for one of the products a former employer made, but I do recall one customer did eventually ask for it, and we obliged. I don't know much of the details as to why they wanted it. Just know it was a GPL licensed project. Heck I think we even gave them pieces that were not even GPL based.
> Basically, if I'm reading it correctly, they have to give you the source code if you ask for it, but they don't have to tell you that you can ask.<p>Sounds like GPL v4 is inbound, a GPL license that forces you to inform your customer that your product uses a GPL licensed software by putting an image of Richard Stallman somewhere in your startup screen.