Microsoft is facing a bit of heat after being accused of using open source code in a way that violates the GNU's General Public License (GPL). The code being questioned was found by the Within Windows blog in Microsoft's Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool. Redmond has since halted distribution of the tool, saying yesterday that it was investigating the allegations.
Within Windows said Microsoft's tool appears to contain code from a utility called ImageMaster, which is licensed under GPLv2. The blog said that Microsoft did not offer or provide source code for their modifications to ImageMaster, and even more, the company tacked on some of their own licensing terms. As fun as it is to sling mud at Microsoft, the claims could be wrong, so don't jump to any conclusions.
The Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool allows users to create a bootable USB flash drive or DVD disc from an ISO image file.