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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.

Community Initiatives

OIN supports complementary community initiatives that are good for our community and open source software.

Press Mentions

November 19, 2019
Open Invention Network teams up with IBM, Linux Foundation, and Microsoft to protect open-source software from patent trolls

November 19, 2019
OIN, IBM, Microsoft and the Linux Foundation team up against open-source patent trolls

Read More >>

What people are saying…

With the Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) reshaping what is possible in industrial settings— improving productivity, enhancing operational efficiency and increasing customer choice— we view Linux and other open source projects as key enablers in the IIOT. The success of the IIOT is predicated on the ability to connect and manage widely distributed sensors and devices across numerous vertical industries and compute the data effectively on an industrial scale.

Peter KohlschmidtCTO, Moxa

OIN is an organization which helps protect the Linux ecosystem by building a variety of defenses against patent attacks…By joining, Mozilla receives cross-licenses from other OIN licensees, but more importantly, for the long term, it affords us a chance to work with OIN in reducing IP threats to open source development and innovation.

Harvey Anderson, Mozilla Project

We view Open Invention Network as one of the key methods through which open source leaders and innovators can deter patent aggression. “We are committed to freedom of action in open source, and have noted OIN’s efforts to actively defend and enable the Linux ecosystem.

Jane Silber, Canonical

Protecting open source is critical to us, our users and to the ongoing health of the Internet. We’re proud of our new role within OIN. We’re very happy with the direction OIN has been going.

Chris DiBonaDirector of Open Source, Google

Tencent is committed to offering high-quality Internet-based services from social, games and digital content to mobile payment, cloud services, Internet financial services and smart retail solutions, among many others. Linux and open source are critical elements in the technologies that we are developing to provide these services. By joining the Open Invention Network, we are demonstrating our continued commitment to innovation, and supporting it with patent non-aggression in Linux.

Xu YanTencent Holdings Limited

Linux is a critical enabler of Guest-Tek’s systems as it helps the company to provide its industry leading solutions to the hospitality industry. By becoming an Open Invention Network licensee, we encourage ongoing Linux development which ensures the continued improvement of our technology and services. This relationship will be very beneficial for Guest-Tek and our customers and partners worldwide.

Arnon LevyPresident & CEO,
Guest-Tek

Flex is proud to join OIN and help further the goals of the open source community. In our position spanning many industries, we are sensitive to the negative impact that the aggressive assertion of patents can have on innovation, and how excessive lawsuits can significantly dampen opportunities for collaboration, especially within the open source community. We are pleased to be an active participant in the effort to protect Linux and related open source technologies from the risk of patent litig…

John RitsickVP of Legal and Chief Intellectual Property Officer, Flex

We are excited to join OIN. Since its inception in 2005, OIN has been at the forefront of helping companies reduce patent infringement risks relating to Linux. It does so by creating a voluntary system of patent cross-licenses between member companies covering Linux System technologies. We look forward to working with OIN and its members to protect the Linux ecosystem and also encourage innovation in the open source software community.

Benjamin BaiAnt Financial

Linux plays an important role at TomTom as the core of all our Portable Navigation Devices. We believe that by becoming an Open Invention Network licensee, we encourage Linux development and foster innovation in a technical community that benefits everyone.

Peter Spours, TomTom

As a leading provider of open cloud solutions in Asia, especially in China, we believe OIN’s work to promote patent non-aggression in cloud computing is of great value to our organization and to the industry.

Hui ChengCEO, UnitedStack

Recently Joined the OIN Community

About OIN

OIN Community

Our License Agreement

OIN Linux System

Press Room

Community Initiatives

Press Mentions

What people are saying…