The judge in the Vizio GPL-compliance lawsuit has ruled, in a
summary judgment, that the GNU General Public License, version˙2,
does not require the provision of signing keys needed to install modified software on a device.
Read as a whole, the Agreements require Vizio to make the source
code available in such a manner that the source code can be readily
obtained and modified by Plaintiff or other third parties. While
source code is defined to include "the scripts used to control
compilation and installation," this does not mean that Vizio must
allow users to reinstall the software, modified or otherwise, back
onto its smart TVs in a manner that preserves all features of the
original program and/or ensures the smart TVs continue to function
properly. Rather, in the context of the Agreements, the disputed
language means that Vizio must provide the source code in a manner
that allows the source code to be obtained and revised by Plaintiff
or others for use in other applications.
As the Software Freedom Conservancy, the plaintiff in the case, has pointed out, the judge has ruled against a claim that was never actually made.
SFC has never held the position, nor do we today hold the position,
that any version of the GPL (even including GPLv3!) require "that
the device continues to function properly" after a user installs
their modified version of the copyleft components.
Linus Torvalds, meanwhile, has posted his own take
on the ruling that has, as one might imagine, sparked an extended
discussion as well.
https://lwn.net/Articles/1051984/
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