Just wondering, what good does it to have GPLv2'ed source code, to allow you to compile your own firmware, for example a router, but you can't get said device to accept your altered firmware, because it has an "encrypted bootloader"?
GPL3 should prevent that, but the linux kernel is V2, and Linus isn't interested in changing. Probably couldn't due to the huge number of devs that would have to ok it. So, to answer your question, it doesn't do much good unless the machine can be exploited to accept arbitrary firmware.
In some ways, even if Linus re-licensed the Linux Kernel under GPLv3, that wouldn't take the GPLv2 license away from the vendors, and might actually cause them to stick to their "old" Linux source codes and license, for their routers, if that means that they wouldn't have to "open up" their "encrypted bootloaders".
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