An amateur developer wrote an open source Linux driver with the help of Claude, and then received a claim letter from the chip company, with the amount starting at $25,000 per week.
Here's the thing. DisplayLink is the technology used by many USB docking stations to connect external monitors, and is owned by Synaptics. There is official support on Linux, but it requires closed source proprietary components. Developer Mike Lothian wanted to make a completely open source alternative, named Vino, relying on independent reverse engineering. Claude was used to assist during the development process. It was tested on the Dell D6000 docking station and was also planned to be pushed into the Linux kernel.
Synaptics sent a cease-and-desist letter, accusing Vino of infringing two of its UK patents (GB2484736 and 2485613), requiring that development, testing and distribution be stopped, code and documentation be removed, and materials submitted to the kernel maintainer be withdrawn.
The follow-up letter added more code: If the request is not complied with within the time limit, the company will first seek compensation for US$25,000, saying it is to compensate for the labor costs of preparing infringing materials, and then add at least US$25,000 every seven days.
The reason given by Synaptics' legal director is that disclosing the implementation of DisplayLink will allow competitors to find out its proprietary technology.
Lothian publicly replied that he was just a hobbyist and did not believe there was infringement. He also questioned the validity of the two patents, saying that some technologies had public materials before the patent application. However, Vino’s warehouse is no longer visible. It is unclear whether he made it private or was processed by the platform. Correspondence and proprietary material from both parties have been forwarded to the Linux kernel mailing list.
Reverse engineering to write compatible drivers has been done in the open source circle for decades, and there has always been a gray area in law. The new variable this time is AI. In the past, reversing a display protocol took several months of hard work, and the threshold itself blocked most people; now an enthusiast can do it with a model. Manufacturers did not have to worry about things that they did not have to worry about before. This is probably why letters come in fast and heavy.