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Recently Joined the OIN Community

About OIN

OIN is a defensive patent pool and community of patent non-aggression which enables freedom of action in Linux. Learn about OIN’s mission, team, supporters, and more.

OIN Community

Over 2,000 organizations have joined OIN. In support of patent non-aggression. For free access to OIN’s patents. And to gain royalty free access to Linux System patents of other OIN participants.

Our License Agreement

Available to all parties, a completed OIN license agreement provides entry to the OIN community and its benefits. Review the agreement, learn more, and sign up online.

OIN Linux System

The Linux System is the set of technologies in which OIN participants agree to cross-license patents to another. A shared zone of patent non-aggression to promote collaboration.

Press Room

OIN enables freedom of action in open source and Linux, which have been great sources of innovation. Find press releases, coverage, FAQs, resources and more here.

Linux Defenders

Linux Defenders is a program to eliminate poor quality patents. It does so through community prior art and defensive publication efforts, as described on the Linux Defenders site.

Press Mentions

June 21, 2018
Blockchain Patent Holders Look to Dodge Trolls, Lawsuits

May 29, 2018
Safeguarding Open Source and Blockchain’s Patent Landscape

Read More >>

What people are saying…

The ecosystem in which we operate is changing rapidly. Innovation that was once squarely housed within the community and exclusively oriented towards its collective betterment is increasingly being conducted across a growing number of companies around the world. That growth is exciting, but there is no denying that with it comes a complex array of actors and interests, some of whom may be more opportunistic in their thinking when it comes to intellectual property rights. Ensuring that permission…

James MurdockBlockstream

Partnering with OIN helps us drive new concepts forward and continually improve upon our existing designs. The strong community-driven approach that OIN stands behind is the very principles which we were founded upon. It’s essentially combining brilliance to improve the world around us.

Jeff Moe, Aleph Objects, Inc.

The last thing we want in the DLT [Distributed Ledger Technology] ecosystem is as replay of the smart phone ‘patent wars’. Patent disputes are the ‘sport of kings’; it is expensive and to be avoided.

Marc KaufmanReedSmith

As the largest patent non-aggression community in history and a strategic partner for the Linux Foundation, OIN was key in the open source community successfully navigating the patent aggression of the last decade. We encourage the members of Linux Foundation projects, from Automotive Grade Linux to Hyperledger to The LF Networking Fund, that are leveraging the collaborative technology development model of open source, to join the OIN community as an important step for them as it relates to IP …

Jim Zemlin, Linux Foundation

The OIN membership supports Kontron on many levels. With our focus on building out our IoT framework, it makes perfect sense to be a part of an open source community that protects the rights of all members within the community, especially to reduce our patent risk around Linux related technology.

Jens Wiegand, Kontron

Embecosm has joined the Open Invention Network (OIN), an industry consortium with an ever-growing patent pool that facilitates cross-licensing, for mutual defence against those who would use patents against the Linux ecosystem. All members are protected, even companies like Embecosm which bring no patents to the table. I don’t like the world we are in, but at least Embecosm is now in a stronger position to protect free software.”

Jeremy Bennett, Embecosm

The convergence of technology and finance has resulted in an increase in PAE litigation against financial services companies involving non-financial services-related patents.

Josh DeathTD Bank

Blockchain technology is worth getting extremely excited about no matter what industry you are in. For anything that requires multiple layers of verification, the blockchain lets you cut out those layers. And that’s just very powerful.

Joan WarnerOxford Economics

We are very excited to join and support OIN, which is really reaching critical mass. This decision has clear value for a company like us, and we believe for all the other new OIN members. We highly encourage other companies to consider joining OIN as well so we create an even stronger protection mechanism for the benefit of the entire Linux ecosystem.

Thierry Koehrlen, Ulteo

Linux, and more broadly open source software, is a foundational technology in the desktop, mobile, networking, cloud and embedded computing environments. We are committed to open solutions that promote advances in all of the sectors that depend on advanced x86 and ARM platforms. Joining Open Invention Network is another way we are demonstrating our commitment to open innovation and collaboration.

Richard Brown, VIA Technologies

Recently Joined the OIN Community

About OIN

OIN Community

Our License Agreement

OIN Linux System

Press Room

Linux Defenders

Press Mentions

What people are saying…