In addition to your Community Membership, OIN offers 4 additional products & services related to Open Source and patent non-aggression.

OIN Patent Non-Aggression Community Membership
There are many benefits for members of our community. You can find a summary of the key benefits here.

Sharing Prior Art
OIN leverages our network of relationships in the greater Open Source community to collect and share prior art in order to permit OIN licensees at risk, or in litigation, to better defend against Linux-centric patent aggression.

OIN Patent Acquisitions & Threat Clearing
In certain circumstances, OIN may acquire patents from patent antagonists asserting patents in situations where the acquisition provides a broad-based clearing of patent threats to OIN community members.

OIN Reduces Patent Application Claim Scope
OIN routinely utilizes the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA) (defined below) pre-issuance submission program to submit prior art to limit the claim scope — or secure outright rejection — of overly broad patent claims in patent applications that are focused on key technology areas relevant to Linux and adjacent Open Source technologies.
The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA) is a U.S. federal statute passed by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama on September 16, 2011. The law represents the most significant legislative change to the U.S. patent system since the Patent Act of 1952 and closely resembles previously proposed legislation in the Senate with the Patent Reform Act of 2009.
Named for its lead sponsors, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), the Act switches the U.S. patent system from a “first to invent” to a “first inventor to file” system, eliminates interference proceedings and develops post-grant opposition. Its central provisions went into effect on September 16, 2012 and on March 16, 2013.
By joining the Open Invention Network, we are demonstrating our continued commitment to innovation, and supporting it with patent non-aggression in core Linux and adjacent open source software.
We remain focused on leveraging the best technologies for our platforms and are excited to join the Open Invention Network (OIN), that supports protection from patent infringement claims for the greater good of the wider innovation community.
Hyundai Kia Motors are both committed to offering the highest-quality, intelligent vehicle platforms that leverage Linux and open source technologies. By joining the Open Invention Network, we will use the opportunity to further develop its infotainment platform. Moreover, we will help to ensure the ongoing development of open solutions that stimulate growth in the automotive industry.
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.
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.
We see incredible value in the Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) communities. Our work in collecting, preserving and making source code available to developers, academics and government entities, will enable developers to continue to innovate. We are very pleased for OIN’s sponsorship and its support in maintaining the technical and scientific knowledge that may be lost without preservation and may be further useful to developers from an intellectual property perspective.
As a licensee, we’ll have access to OIN resources in case we’re threatened by operating entities with patents.
China Mobile is committed to becoming a world-class information services and sci-tech innovation enterprise, and understands that Linux System and open source technology is a cornerstone to drive technological innovation and accelerate service innovation. After joining OIN, China Mobile will not only continue to support the innovative practice of open source projects, but also work closely with OIN and its members to promote the high-level implementation of the Linux System and open source techn… Read more
At the time of OIN’s founding, open source was nascent, and most software was built in silos. During the past 15 years, we have been pleased to watch the OIN community grow from 6 members to more than 3,300. The OIN community’s powerful cross license has enabled businesses to safely develop and sell innovative new systems and platforms that have revolutionized the way the world conducts business.
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.
Join the OIN Community
The membership process is simple. We welcome all individuals & companies who advocate for Open Source and are focused on reducing risk from the threats of patent aggressors.