Busybox GPL violator: LaCie

[Tommi Kyntola]

Well, they do have some GPL sources available. Atleast for the
Ethernet Disk mini and some other linux package

http://www.lacie.com/us/support/drivers/index.htm

The first gpl package:
ftp://207.189.107.141/lacie-ED_Linux-gpl.zip
contains busybox-1.1.0-lacie.tar.gz and other gpl source
packages. They're also availabe on the ftp server separately.

I don't know wether they're supposed to have such links there
on the same page as the firmware download or not, ianal, but
having some gpl packages behind two-three clicks after the
country selection (-> downloads -> hard-drives) is not close
to worst I've seen. /me thinks it's actually quite decent.

cheers,
Tommi Kyntola

thinkliberty wrote:
> LaCie (www.lacie.com) by selling it's "LaCie Ethernet Disk RAID"  is 
> violating your copyrights by distributing busybox without a copy of the 
> GPL (or even a notice of the gpl.) I also called their tech support line 
> (503-844-4503)and they told me the source code was not available.
> See product at:
> http://www.lacie.com/us/products/product.htm?pid=10876
> 
> You can see they are using busybox by downloading the latest firmware 
> for the product at:
> ftp://207.189.107.141/BCFv13b524-external.zip
> link from the page:
> http://www.lacie.com/us/support/drivers/driver.htm?id=10101
> 
> (Notice that there is no offer to distribute the source code or a copy 
> of the GPL in the firmware or the page linking to the firmware)
> 
> You can tell the firmware is using busybox by unziping the file; a net 
> friend of mine found someone that figured out how to unpack  the pkg 
> file from firmware link above. Here is what he has sent me: (he did not 
> give me a link to where he found the info)
> 
> The .*pkg* file contains a header and then a gziped tar file
> 
> The header consists of:
> 
> 32 byte: md5sum of the remaining file
> 32 byte: identification string, starting with "*FALCONSTOR*@" and then 
> followed by the machine identification, e.g . EP###
> 8 byte: length of header in KB
> 16 byte: *firmware* version number (e.g. #.#-b####)
> 16 byte: *firmware* version string (e.g. fs-bc)
> 
> Remove the above info from the file and then the remainder is just a 
> tarball.
> 
> LaCie's contact info can be found at
> http://www.lacie.com/us/contact/index.htm
> 
> 
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