Judge hints Vizio TV buyers may have rights to source code licensed under GPL

Re:Judge hints Vizio TV buyers may have rights to source cod... by remix2000 on Thursday December 18, 2025 @05:57AM (#46311190)

Am I misled in thinking that if this weren't mere IP trolling with no legal or even factual basis, SFC would've already thought to sue the biggest fish, i.e. Amazon, as they aren't publishing full Linux kernel sources as used in Kindles inside the "source releases", most notably the REAGL part of the EPDC driver…

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Re:Judge hints Vizio TV buyers may have rights to source cod... by poofsoda on Thursday December 18, 2025 @06:09AM (#46311289)

A common strategy is to first establish precedent by successfully suing smaller / less deep-pocketed entities, and then using that victory to compel more resourced organizations to comply. When SFC brought this lawsuit, Vizio was an independent company and much smaller than Amazon. Of course, its purchase by Walmart in 2024 changes that a bit—but before then, easier for SFC to face Vizio’s legal team than Amazon’s.

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Re:Judge hints Vizio TV buyers may have rights to source cod... by ronsor on Thursday December 18, 2025 @01:58PM (#46316956)

Very much this.

You never go for the big fish unless you have to. Even with an airtight case, they often can bleed you dry.

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Re:Judge hints Vizio TV buyers may have rights to source cod... by milkytron on Thursday December 18, 2025 @03:06PM (#46317927)

Vizio is owned by Wal-Mart though, so it's not exactly some small fish.

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