Freedom to participate in open source projects and adopt Linux and other open source code has been enabled through broad based participation in the OIN cross-license, which has become a litmus test for authenticity in the open source community. Joining the OIN community demonstrates an explicit recognition among signatories of a commitment to open source technologies and the set of norms required around the appropriate use of patents in an increasingly open source-centric world. Companies that do not sign the OIN license and refuse to participate in this rapidly growing community are explicitly or implicitly reserving the right to use their patents to litigate on core Linux and OSS functionality.