> Any individual developer could defect from Linus' stance and work with the SFC on an infringement case.

I was looking for a source and was unable to find it quickly, but I'm pretty sure a significant number of kernel developers have joined some kind of SFC organization that allows the SFC to use their copyright in order to sue for compliance.

Edit: Thanks ashitlerferad, I missed the section on linux here: https://sfconservancy.org/copyleft-compliance/. That's the source.

Edit2: Please read JoshTriplett's comment below for some clarifications on this subject.