How a YouTuber Secured UMIDIGI’s Android Kernel Source Amid GPLv2 Dispute
A Chinese tech blogger retrieved the Android kernel source from UMIDIGI after a GPLv2 violation controversy, documented the process in a YouTube video, and made the code publicly available for developers to review.
Domestic smart device manufacturer UMIDIGI sparked controversy by violating the GPLv2 license and telling developers they could "pick up the source code in person".
Renowned tech blogger Naomi Wu (Mechanical Fairy) offered help, visited UMIDIGI's office, obtained the kernel source for Patrycja, and filmed the entire process, sharing it online.
Naomi Wu later uploaded the full video to her personal YouTube channel, showing that despite initial communication issues, a staff member eventually received her, asked about her purpose, and was cooperative.
Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vj04MKykmnQ
She explained that the Android kernel is based on an open-source license and that UMIDIGI's business is closely related, so providing the source code is necessary; otherwise, foreign observers might mistakenly think Chinese developers are stealing IP.
The staff member handling the visit appeared not technically proficient but showed patience and a positive attitude, though she could not make decisions and needed to report to higher management, exchanging WeChat contacts.
After further communication, Naomi Wu obtained the source code, which is now available from UMIDIGI's official website or GitHub for developers to audit.
In the video conclusion, she praised UMIDIGI's handling of the incident, thanked developers who helped review the code, and the Open Source China community for advancing the case, hoping Chinese developers and companies learn from this episode to better manage similar PR situations.
Source code: https://github.com/Hadenix/kernel_umidigi_f2_mt6771_4.14
Signed-in readers can open the original source through BestHub's protected redirect.
This article has been distilled and summarized from source material, then republished for learning and reference. If you believe it infringes your rights, please contactand we will review it promptly.
Programmer DD
A tinkering programmer and author of "Spring Cloud Microservices in Action"
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