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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

August 29, 2019
The Open Invention Network: An Intellectual Property Company Using Patents to Encourage Open-Source Development and Innovation

August 28, 2019
Microsoft readies exFAT patents for Linux and open source

Read More >>

What people are saying…

At JD.com, we have employed open source technologies such as Kubernetes and Open Stack, along with Linux, to improve the speed, functionality and stability of our infrastructure while lowering operating costs.

Rain LongChief Human Resource Officer & General Counsel, JD.com

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 and open source are driving innovation in cloud and mobile computing, and emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things. These are developments that are very close to our hearts at Sage. We applaud the Open Invention Network’s efforts to promote openness and innovation for the benefit of the technical community and our wider society and would encourage our partners to support their work.

Klaus-Michael VogelbergCTO, Sage

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

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

Open source technology, especially Linux, drives innovation in areas that are critical to the customers that we serve, including technologies such as servers, storage, cloud, converged applications, big data and IoT. By joining Open Invention Network, we are demonstrating our continued commitment to open source technology, and supporting it with patent non-aggression in Linux.

Norihiro SuzukiVice President and Executive Officer, CTO

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

Joining a community like OIN helps facilitate our advanced technical Linux capabilities across the company, both in our data centers and at our manufacturing sites. Our use of Linux will increase quickly as we leverage the collective innovation of communities like OIN.

Gus ShahinFlex

Open source software has become the primary engine of innovation and should now be viewed as the key building block of all modern enterprise architectures. Innovation in areas like cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence, DevOps and modern web frameworks are all happening in the open source ecosystem.

Navin BudhirajaSVP, Head of Architecture & Technology, Infosys

Openness and sharing are the sources of innovation. Alibaba is excited to join Open Invention Network and share our cutting edge innovations with industry leaders.

Jiangwei JiangAlibaba Cloud Computing

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…