Ronsoros, known for the popular jail-breaking tool ra1nstorm, claims that voice.ai is using shortcuts to reach the top of the AI audio game. He claims that Voice.ai has violated the LGPLv2.1 and GPLv3 licenses.
They have been packaging open-source libraries which enable the software but not adhering to their terms and conditions. These licenses are common in the open-source community and govern the distribution and use of open-source software. All parties to these licenses must adhere to their terms. The screenshot shown below shows some of his research, where he compares the decompiled code from the voice.ai project.
An extensive investigation was conducted into Voice.ai’s installation. It was discovered that Voice.ai had used code from Praat (a popular open-source speech analysis program) and libgcrypt (a cryptographic library) in its proprietary software. The company did not release the source code or provide proper attribution.
Excerpt from Voice.ai’s license agreement:
We retain all right, title and ownership to the Beta product. You agree the Beta Product is for personal use only. You may not sell, transfer, assign, pledge or in any way encumber or convey the Beta product or any portion or component thereof to any third party or use it in any manner to produce, market or support your own products. You shall not copy, sell or market Beta product to any third party; or modify, reuse, disassemble, decompile, reverse engineer or otherwise translate the beta product or any portion thereof
This is in clear contrast to the GPLv3, which says the following:
When you convey a covered work, you waive any legal power to forbid circumvention of technological measures to the extent such circumvention is effected by exercising rights under this License with respect to the covered work, and you disclaim any intention to limit operation or modification of the work as a means of enforcing, against the work’s users, your or third parties’ legal rights to forbid circumvention of technological measures.
Ronsoros outlines the steps taken to expose the violations in his blog, “undeleted.” GPLv3 licenses and LGPLv2.1 licenses were created to make open-source software free and available to all. It is important that software companies that use such software adhere to these terms. Open-source software misuse can compromise the integrity of the open-source community and weaken the principles that make open-source software valuable.
Here is where things get worse. Ronsoros contacted the company to inform them they were violating two open-source licenses. He was immediately removed from the Discord server.
The investigation by Ronsoros into voice.ai into the alleged misuse of open-source software licenses serves to warn the tech industry about how important it is to respect open-source licensing.
Companies should be careful when using open-source software. They must ensure that they follow the terms of the licenses and not abuse the trust of others. Open-source communities must be vigilant to protect the integrity of open-source software.
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