Beware of laser cutter manufacturers who violate the GPL

For companies that build equipment such as CNC machines or laser cutters, it's tempting to use open source software in many areas. After all, it's stable, functional, and has generally stood the test of time. But the use of open source software is not always without responsibilities. The GPL license requires that all third-party modifications sent to users must themselves be open source, with the possibility of legal repercussions. But for that, someone has to step in and hold them accountable.

Here, the manufacturer under fire is Ortur. They ship laser engravers that obviously use Grbl firmware, or a modified version of it, so [Norbert] asked them for the source code. They replied that it was a “business secret”. He even wrote to them a second time, and they refused. So the third step is to make a video of it.

Unfortunately, [Norbert] doesn't have the resources to initiate international law enforcement, so he suggests instead that we should start talking openly about the manufacturers involved. This makes sense, as such publicity makes it much easier for a lawsuit to arise, and we've seen real consequences happen to Samsung, Creality, and Skype, among others.

Many of us have struggled with laser cutters loaded with proprietary firmware, and while it's tempting to throw away the original board, you have to invest a little more energy and money to get the job done on something that shouldn't have been a problem. Instead, manufacturers could do what's right and legal in the first place. We should let them know that we demand this of them.