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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

May 07, 2019
Advancing Open Source Innovation in Cybersecurity

April 10, 2019
Cybersecurity Innovation and the Patent Landscape

Read More >>

What people are saying…

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 OfficerFlex

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

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

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

UnionPay focuses on Fintech innovation and is committed to building an open platform that provides integrated payment services with global influence. Under the frame of legal and regulatory compliance, we are pleased to provide service and conduct active cooperation. We look forward to working with OIN and community members to protect our global business and the open source projects that encourage innovation.

UnionPay Intellectual Property Manager

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

We look forward to participating in the Open Invention Network. Many of the services and apps that our customers depend on every day have been developed using open source software and we look forward to helping safeguard its future.

Luke IbbetsonVodaphone

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

The Electric Vehicle Charging Industry is booming and has benefited greatly from the freedom to use open source software such as Linux in our systems. The Open Charge Alliance stands for open collaboration, open standards and is a strong supporter of OIN. We can’t have patent aggression slowing down innovation and market growth in this exciting new industry.

Lonneke DriessenDirector, Open Charge Alliance

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

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…