Samsung Electronics America, Inc.

For these reasons, I respectfully request that this matter be evaluated as a collective consumer concern involving the disclosure and practical access

I am submitting this complaint as a matter of collective consumer and developer interest concerning the distribution of software released under the terms of the BSD license in products manufactured and distributed by Samsung Electronics America. I contacted the open-source compliance team, requesting access to the source code corresponding to software identified in Samsung devices as being released under the terms of the BSD license. In response, I was informed that Samsung Electronics America is not obligated to disclose source code for software distributed under the terms of the BSD license. This position raises a broader issue that affects not only an individual request but potentially all consumers, developers, and security researchers interacting with Samsung devices containing BSD-licensed software. While the BSD license does not explicitly mandate distribution of source code, the license text expressly states that redistribution and use in source form are permitted. When a manufacturer distributes software under a license containing this language while simultaneously withholding the corresponding source code, the practical ability to exercise the authorized use in source form becomes effectively impossible. As a result, consumers and developers are prevented from auditing, studying, modifying, or maintaining software components included in devices they have purchased.

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