To see the problem "live", try the following on an Apple IIGS with one or two 3.5-inch disk drives and one 5.25-inch disk drive all daisy-chained from the SmartPort.
1) Start GS/OS on the 3.5-inch drives.
2) Insert a locked 5.25-inch disk into its drive and put it on the desktop.
3) Remove the 5.25-inch disk.
4) Insert a write-enabled, 5.25-inch disk and mount it on the desktop.
5) Copy the locked 5.25-inch disk onto the unlocked 5.25-inch disk. When the copy process ends, try to rename the unlocked 5.25-inch disk.
The Finder thinks the disk is locked. The problem appears to be with the driver for the 5.25-inch drives and seems to be related to how GS/OS sees 3.5-inch disks. If a 3.5-inch disk is unlocked, then the "Get Info" for all 5.25-inch disks displays "Unlocked", whether the 5.25-inch disk is physically locked or unlocked. Conversely, the same is true for a locked 3.5-inch disk. If a 3.5-inch disk is locked, then the "Get Info" for all 5.25-inch disks displays "Locked". Again, it does not matter if the 5.25-inch disk is physically locked or unlocked.
The workaround for this problem is to make sure that your 3.5-inch disks are not write-protected. This lets the user make copies and rename new 5.25-inch disks without having to restart the system.