Libogc (Wii homebrew library) discovered to contain code stolen from RTEMS

Overall Reaction to the Libogc/RTEMS Revelation

• Many see the RTEMS-copying claim as credible and serious: libogc appears to contain RTEMS code with license headers and attribution stripped, plus long‑known use of decompiled Nintendo SDK code.
• Others argue the public “callout” is overly dramatic or in bad faith, especially given the age of the code and the lack of immediate practical consequences.
• There is frustration toward devkitPro/libogc maintainers for allegedly closing and deleting issues instead of acknowledging or fixing licensing problems.

Evidence and Dispute Over “Stolen” Code

• Some commenters initially find the cited example function too trivial to prove copying, but deeper comparisons (e.g., priority-changing functions) are described as nearly line‑for‑line identical except for minor parameter removal.
• A separate repo that systematically transforms libogc code to look like RTEMS code is viewed by some as useful forensic work, by others as an odd or weak way to present evidence.
• A minority suggests both projects might share a common ancestor or that similarity in RTOS primitives is expected, though specific near‑identical functions weaken that defense.

Legal and Licensing Debate

• Strong pushback against the claim that “copyright does not apply to decompiled source”; multiple replies stress decompilation produces a derivative work still covered by copyright.
• Clean‑room reverse engineering and fair‑use/interoperability exceptions are discussed with reference to historic cases (e.g., Sega v. Accolade, Sony v. Connectix, Google v. Oracle).
• GPL and BSD‑style obligations (especially attribution) are emphasized: even if RTEMS relicenses to BSD‑2‑Clause, stripped copyright notices remain a violation.
• Some argue RTEMS should sue or at least file takedowns; others highlight the cost of litigation and GPL‑enforcement norms that favor remediation and education over damages.

Homebrew, Piracy Culture, and Ethics

• It’s described as an “open secret” that past Nintendo homebrew/emulation often relied on leaked SDKs and decompiled game code.
• Several note that homebrew scenes culturally sit closer to piracy communities than to orthodox FOSS, so GPL compliance feels alien or low‑priority to many participants.
• Others counter with examples of fully clean‑room efforts (e.g., N64 libdragon) to show this is possible and preferable.
• A long subthread debates whether plagiarism in non‑commercial open source actually “harms” anyone; opponents stress integrity, honesty, and the chilling effect on trust and legal safety.

RTEMS, Missiles, and Morality

• RTEMS is clarified as an actively maintained RTOS used in space, scientific, medical, and defense systems (including missile platforms).
• Some say they care less about GPL violations against a defense‑linked project; others argue the GPL’s moral force depends on applying it consistently, even to entities one dislikes.

Impact on Wii Homebrew

• Homebrew Channel development was largely dormant already; the new “freeze” is seen as mostly symbolic and a way to distance from tainted code.
• Because devkitPro/libogc dominates Wii tooling, finding or building a clean replacement is viewed as difficult but technically possible (e.g., via clean‑room reimplementation).