Mike Lothian, a hobbyist, developed Vino, an open-source driver for DisplayLink hardware through clean-room reverse engineering, using Claude AI for assistance and writing the software in Rust. After he contacted a Synaptics engineer about bugs in July 2026, the company warned that implementing the DisplayLink protocol could infringe its patents. Its legal team later demanded that he remove the GitHub project, citing two British patents covering the transmission and handling of compressed display data over networks.
Lothian asked Synaptics to explain precisely how Vino infringed, but says the company did not provide details. Instead, it threatened to bill him for preparing documentation of the alleged infringement and argued that publishing its technology would weaken DisplayLink’s competitive position. Lothian took the repository offline but disputes the patents’ validity, arguing that key features were added to the claims during examination and were not novel. He also points to Synaptics’ membership in the Open Invention Network, whose license may cover acquired companies and patents, though Synaptics contests that interpretation. Lothian remains open to a resolution, but the exchange suggests a possible legal dispute over patent scope, open-source reverse engineering, and whether AI-assisted development changes the risks.
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