Mission Focused.
Proven Success.
Patent Protection.
We empower our members by providing defensive strategies to prevent, neutralize, or protect against patent threats to Open Source.
By applying proven risk-mitigation tactics, we ensure our community can focus on collaboration & innovation — protected against the constant threat of patents.
For over 20 years, our mission has not wavered. We’ve protected Open Source, reduced patent litigation risks; provided an exclusive cross-license through our evolving Linux System definition; supported key Open Source projects; contributed leadership and insights to the Open Source ecosystem; empowered the continued growth of Open Source; and offered a suite of defense strategies for our global community of 4,000+ and growing members.
Keith Bergelt
CEO | Open Invention Network
Strategies include:
Extensive
Cross-License
Extensive Cross-License
Our 4,000+ members collectively own 3+ million patents & applications and generate more than $10 trillion in total revenue, creating the ability to clear patent risk in Open Source at scale. Our members agree not to threaten one another with patents that fall within the scope of theOIN cross-license.
Living LinuxSystem Definition
Living Linux System Definition
We safeguard our members in 5,100+ Open Source packages & applications. The Linux System grows over time to keep up with advances in Open Source technology to ensure OIN community patent protection
is updated.
Reexaminations & Inter Partes Reviews
Reexaminations & Inter Partes Reviews
By leveraging these processes, we eliminate – or significantly weaken – patents that are being used to threaten Open Source.
Invalidity Analysis & Claim Charting
Invalidity Analysis & Claim Charting
In certain circumstances, we can conduct a detailed claim-by-claim analysis of a patent when it is being used to threatened Open Source to show the claims are invalid.
Prior Art
Sharing
Prior Art Sharing
By collecting, curating & sharing prior art on patents that are being used to threaten Open Source, we help prevent those patents from being effectively enforced.
Preissuance
Submissions
Preissuance Submissions
We use third-party preissuance submissions to ensure overly broad patent applications – which could be used to threaten Open Source if granted – are reduced in scope or never granted.
Defensive
Purchases
Defensive Purchases
We have acquired patents in the past to block attacks protecting our members & keeping Open Source innovation moving forward.
Ongoing
Risk Mitigation
Ongoing Risk Mitigation
We proactively monitor the patent landscape to identify, track & address emerging threats to Open Source technologies.
Don’t miss out on Table 13 expanded coverage.
Linux System Table 13 increases coverage for Cloud Computing, Kubernetes & Eclipse, as well as expands coverage for modern languages by adding many new libraries for Go, Python & Rust.
Because we believe in transparency, choice & shared commitment to the future of Open Source, we are not automatically converting existing members to OIN 2.0. All OIN members need to sign an OIN 2.0 License Agreement.
Don’t miss out on Table 13 expanded coverage.
Linux System Table 13 increases coverage for Cloud Computing, Kubernetes & Eclipse, as well as expands coverage for modern languages by adding many new libraries for Go, Python & Rust.
Because we believe in transparency, choice & shared commitment to the future of Open Source, we are not automatically converting existing members to OIN 2.0. All OIN members need to sign an OIN 2.0 License Agreement.
