ambiguity
ambiguity
Posted Dec 25, 2025 18:10 UTC (Thu) by sashal (✭ supporter ✭, #81842)Parent article: A partial ruling in the Vizio GPL suit
In their court filings, SFC said Vizio must provide source code and scripts so that "a person of ordinary skill can compile the source code into a functional executable and install it onto the same device, such that all features of the original program are retained". Vizio interpreted this as SFC demanding that the TV "continue to function properly" after reinstalling modified software.
SFC now says Vizio mischaracterized their position. They claim "all features of the original program" meant the GPL software itself (like the kernel) should work and not that the entire TV with its proprietary bloatware.
The problem is SFC's original language was ambiguous: "All features of the original program are retained" could reasonably be read either way. Vizio likely just played it safe.
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