Durham, NC (October 19, 2010) - Open Invention Network (OIN) announced today a significant increase in the size of its community of licensees during its most recent fiscal quarter. Licensees continue to benefit from the value of OIN association and the freedom of action enabled by OIN's licensing program. During the third quarter of 2010, OIN experienced 34% growth in its community of licensees, so that the community currently numbers 187 open source supporters. OIN licensees, which include founding members and associate members, benefit from leverage against patent aggression and access to enabling technologies through OIN's shared intellectual property resources.

"We are pleased with the breadth and quality of the entities that are joining OIN's community of licensees," said Keith Bergelt, CEO of Open Invention Network. "OIN has received positive responses from foundations such as NLnet, important Linux communities and desktop environments such as KDE and well respected Web platform companies such as Mozilla. We believe that the open source community's growing awareness of the benefits of joining OIN will help to enable Linux and facilitate freedom of action. OIN is continuing to work for the common good of Linux stakeholders by assembling a strategic patent pool for the defense of the community against IP aggressors. We also encourage collaborative behavior within the Linux ecosystem through our organization's royalty free licensing effort."

During the third quarter of 2010, the list of new OIN licensees affirming their support for Linux and freedom of action included the following:

• 8.5x14 Media Corp.
• Aboriginal Linux
• Accelera Networks s.r.o.
• ad 1810
• Affordy Ltd.
• andLinux
• Android-x86
• AWK-Linux
• Ayeba
• Beemaster ICT
• Blacknight Internet Solutions Ltd
• blackPanther Europe Ltd
• Bynari, Inc.
• Coherent Theory
• credative GmbH
• DeviceVM Inc.
• Fluendo
• FON (Fon Wireless Limited)
• KDE e.V.
• Kerry Linux Solutions
• Klarälvdalens Datakonsult AB (KDAB)
• KO GmbH
• KovoKs BV
• LernTux
• Lina.pl
• Linux Based Systems Design Ltd (AllworldIT/IDMS-Linux)
• Linux Support LLC
• Meshcom Techologies
• Momonga Linux
• Mozilla Corporation
• Nixu Open
• NLnet Foundation
• OpenNix
• Oralux.org Association
• Pale Purple Ltd
• Perfectsource Sp. z o.o.
• Pi-Web
• Polippix
• Proxy Services B.V.
• Riversimple LLC
• SystemRescueCD
• Telematics Freedom Foundation
• Teluu LLP
• The 40 Fires Foundation
• TurnKey Linux
• Virtual Worlds Productions
• XBMC

Patents owned by Open Invention Network are available royalty-free to any company, institution or individual that agrees not to assert its patents against the Linux System. This enables companies to continue to make significant corporate and capital investments in Linux - helping to fuel economic growth. By broadly licensing its rapidly expanding patent portfolio, OIN is disseminating protections across the Linux community and promoting an active dialogue among entities committed to freedom of action in Linux. The web of Linux developers, distributors, sellers, resellers and end-users that license OIN's patent portfolio acknowledge and affirm OIN's commitment to enable Linux and address the ongoing threat from companies that support proprietary platforms to the exclusion of open source initiatives, and whose behaviors reflect a disdain for innovation.

OIN has amassed a broad portfolio of patents, including patents held by nominees on its behalf. These patents are available to all licensees as part of the patent portfolio that OIN is creating around and in support of Linux. The Open Invention Network license can be found at http://www.openinventionnetwork.com/pat_license_agreement.php.

About Open Invention Network®

Open Invention Network is a collaborative enterprise that enables innovation in open source and an increasingly vibrant ecosystem around Linux. It does this by acquiring and licensing patents, influencing behaviors and policy and protecting the integrity of the ecosystem through strategic programs such as Linux Defenders. OIN enables the growth and continuation of open source software by fostering a healthy Linux ecosystem of investors, vendors, developers and users.

Open Invention Network has considerable industry backing. It was launched in 2005 by IBM, NEC, Novell, Philips, Red Hat and Sony. OIN has received supplemental financial support from Canonical. For more information, visit www.openinventionnetwork.com.

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Open Invention Network, the Open Invention Network logo, Linux Defenders, Linux Defenders 911 and the Linux Defenders 911 logo are registered trademarks or the property of Open Invention Network, LLC. All other names and brand marks are the property of their respective holders.

Media-Only Contact::
Ed Schauweker
Ketchum for Open Invention Network
ed.schauweker@ketchum.com
703-963-5238

 

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