Home - Open Invention Network

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

January 03, 2019
The top 5 Linux and open-source stories of 2018

December 13, 2018
Alibaba and Ant Financial join Open Invention Network

Read More >>

What people are saying…

Linux and open source are critical elements in today’s mobile, cloud and enterprise computing environments. By joining the Open Invention Network, we are helping ensure the ongoing development of open solutions that promote market growth in key lines of business.

Guru PaiVerizon

OIN protects the open-source community through a patent cross-license for Linux and related open-source technologies. The license is free and available to companies, organizations, and individual developers if they agree not to assert their own patents against Linux.

Chris DiBonaGoogle

We believe the protection OIN offers the open source community helps increase global contributions to and adoption of open source technologies. We are honored to stand with OIN as an active participant in its program to protect against patent aggression in core Linux and other important OSS technologies.

Erich Andersen, Microsoft

As a leader in the development of intelligent automobiles, Daimler is committed to offering the highest-quality products across our portfolio. By joining the Open Invention Network, we are demonstrating our continued commitment to innovation, and supporting it with patent non-aggression in Linux.

Ralf Lamberti, Daimler

For more than 160 years, Heidelberg has been a leading provider of a spectrum of printing technologies used by the most respected print shops in the industry. We recognize the value of open source innovation in our firmware and increasingly sophisticated document management systems. By joining OIN, we are demonstrating our continued commitment to innovation and supporting it with patent non-aggression in Linux and adjacent technologies

Christof Haust, Heidelberger Drucksmachinen, AG

Yandex likes Linux. We use it, commit to it. We advocate the creation of a secure zone around the Linux kernel, free from patent wars. The same goals are pursued by the Open Invention Network, which unites thousands of companies around the world.

Yandex

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

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

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 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

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…