Samsung Accidentally Leaked The exFAT Linux Driver

[chrisb]

I contacted Samsung's Open Source Release Center.

We're pretty much guaranteed a response now.

Did you ever get a response?

[RealNC]

Apparently LLStarks did, but no update on that.
Also, maybe you need to be someone who Samsung distributed the program to to be in a position to ask? It doesn't cost much to ask anyway.

As long as you get a copy of their binaries, you are entitled to source code. It doesn't matter how you get the binaries; when you get them, you also get all the rights granted by the GPL.

[erendorn]

Well they do that, since they use Android. The question was whether anyone has actually requested the source yet.

Apparently LLStarks did, but no update on that.
Also, maybe you need to be someone who Samsung distributed the program to to be in a position to ask? It doesn't cost much to ask anyway.

[RealNC]

No, if they distribute GPL software to you then they have to tell you, and have to include an offer to access the source code.

Well they do that, since they use Android. The question was whether anyone has actually requested the source yet.

[chrisb]

Did no one ask Samsung for the code? The GPL specifies that you can ask them for it, and they must provide you with a copy. If no one asked them yet, they're not infringing on anything. This will only happen if they refuse.

No, if they distribute GPL software to you then they have to tell you, and have to include an offer to access the source code.

[AnonymousCoward]

Here's the original source of the leak that I have used in the exfat-nofuse project: https://github.com/kcrudup/gt-n8000-...cc3ca/fs/exfat

Oh look, it vanished!

[RealNC]

Yep, it's not automatic. It might be one of the outcome if a kernel copyright holder went to court (or at lit complained). It might not be.
It has been mentionned indeed, 2 posts above yours

Did no one ask Samsung for the code? The GPL specifies that you can ask them for it, and they must provide you with a copy. If no one asked them yet, they're not infringing on anything. This will only happen if they refuse.

[erendorn]

Not sure if someone mentioned this in the thread yet, but doesn't Samsung ship a Linux kernel with the devices? (Mostly rhetorical question; the answer is obviously yes.) In that case, the exFAT kernel module has to be GPL, right? The only reason kernel modules from say, NVidia are getting away with not being GPL is that those companies do not ship it together with an actual kernel.

Did I miss something here?

Yep, it's not automatic. It might be one of the outcome if a kernel copyright holder went to court (or at lit complained). It might not be.
It has been mentionned indeed, 2 posts above yours

[RealNC]

Not sure if someone mentioned this in the thread yet, but doesn't Samsung ship a Linux kernel with the devices? (Mostly rhetorical question; the answer is obviously yes.) In that case, the exFAT kernel module has to be GPL, right? The only reason kernel modules from say, NVidia are getting away with not being GPL is that those companies do not ship it together with an actual kernel.

Did I miss something here?

[DeepDayze]

Stuff like this gives FOSS a black eye when its perceived that closed proprietary code accidentally got leaked and some "developer" claims it is his and slaps a GPL license on it. Good for Samsung to go after him for that. Imagine if it was nVidia's proprietary driver code that got leaked instead...nVidia would go thermonuclear over that!